


Winners and Dinners

by chaostheory08



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime), 甘々と稲妻 | Amaama to Inazuma | Sweetness & Lightning (Anime)
Genre: Based on another anime, Brothers, Cooking, Cooking Lessons, Cute, Domestic Fluff, Family, Family Fluff, Fluff, Food, Friendship, Gen, Otabek is 6, Recipes, Viktor is 20, Yurio is 5, sweetness and lightning, yuuri is 18
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2018-12-15 10:45:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11804442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaostheory08/pseuds/chaostheory08
Summary: Heavily inspired by the anime "Sweetness and Lightning". Brothers Viktor and Yuri are left alone by their parents for a couple of weeks. Yuri expects to be fed good food but Viktor does not know how to cook. Yuuri's family owns a restaurant and onsen. But while his sister, Chef Mari, is gone for school, the restaurant's doors are closed. Yuuri opens them again for Viktor and Yuri where all three of them learn their way around the kitchen.





	1. Chicken Noodle Soup

**Author's Note:**

> I usually type this out while I'm at work in between doing actual work LOL. English is not my first language and I don't have a beta. Any mistakes are my own. I also included the actual recipes at the beginning of each chapter. 
> 
> Also, I don't have an update schedule yet. I'm posting this as soon as I finish each chapter. Thank you in advance for your kudos and comments. I am having so much FUN rewatching "sweetness & lightning". 
> 
> Enjoy!

**[[CHICKEN NOODLE PUMPKIN SOUP]](https://www.missinformationblog.com/chicken-noodle-pumpkin-soup-recipe/) **

 

Ingredients:

  * 3 Cans Progresso Rich & Hearty Chicken and Homestyle Noodles
  * 3/4 Pumpkin Puree
  * 6 tablespoons heavy cream
  * 3/4 cup cheddar cheese



Instructions:

  * Heat Rich and Hearty Chicken & Homestyle Noodles over medium heat.
  * Whisk in pumpkin puree and heavy cream.
  * Once soup starts to simmer, add in cheddar cheese and stir until melted.



Serves 3.

****************************

 

“Where is Mama?” a blonde five-year-old boy asked, flopping on his tummy on top of his brother’s chest. “I want Mama.” He tried shaking Viktor awake.

Said brother cracked his left eye open, then the right. The first thing he saw was a pair of bright green eyes belonging to his little brother, Yurio. “Wha… what time is it?” Viktor mumbled, still groggy from only four hours of sleep. Yurio shrugged and repeated both of his previous sentences. “Come on, _kotyonok._ Didn’t I teach you how to read the time?”

Yurio pouted but complied. He pushed himself up and squinted at the bedside clock. “The long hand is pointing to…” he paused, trying to remember his numbers, “five! And the short hand is on six!”

At that, Viktor sat up abruptly, almost launching Yurio to the floor. “What? We’re going to be late!” he cried out. He carried Yurio in his arms and sped to the kitchen to make breakfast.

“Where’s Mama?” Yurio screamed, pulling at his brother’s silver hair. They looked like quite an odd pair. Yurio has shiny golden blonde hair with a fringe that covers the right eye while Viktor has long platinum blonde hair that reaches the center of his back. At a quick glance, they looked like mother and daughter. And they have been mistaken as such.

Plopping Yurio on the couch, Viktor answered the question, “Don’t you remember, Yurio? Mama is in Russia visiting _dedushka_. She left last night. Didn’t we drive her to the airport? You know, the one with the planes just like your toys?” The little boy nodded in understanding. “Don’t worry. She’ll be back soon.” Four weeks. “But for now, I think I can manage.”

The boys have the same mother but different fathers and last names. Viktor Nikiforov is a 20-year-old college student while _Yuri_ Plisetsky is a five-year-old kindergarten pupil at the local school. One of his teachers nicknamed him Yurio because there was another child named Yuri in their class. They came to Japan about two years ago when Yuri’s father moved the family to the country because of his job. Luckily, the sleepy little town of Hasetsu has quite a large expat community aside from its charm. Like their mom, he was also overseas at the moment, leaving the two brothers on their own.

Yurio blew a raspberry. Viktor might be way older than him but Yurio thinks he’s the more responsible brother. At least his dirty clothes make it into the hamper and his shoes are lined up by the door. Viktor’s room looks like a warzone of books and papers and water bottles.

“You doubt me, dearest brother?” Viktor scoffed. “I am perfectly capable of feeding us until help arrives.” Before his mother left for Russia, she made sure that their fridge was stocked with microwave meals and ready-made bento for lunch. “Look here, do you want scrambled eggs?”

Yurio peeked from the back of the couch and nodded. “No onions,” he said, glaring at the offending vegetable already in Viktor’s hand. “Can I watch _Pororo_?” he asked, pointing to the TV.

“Sure thing,” Viktor said. He gathered up the ingredients for scrambled eggs and put two pieces of bread in the toaster. He also put the pan on the stove to heat the oil. “How can I mess this up? I’ve seen Mama do this countless of times,” he mumbled to himself as he began cracking the eggs and beating them. “How much oil do I use? How will I know if it’s cooked already?” Sneaking a look towards Yurio who was swaying along to the _Pororo_ theme song, he sighed, “Here goes nothing.”

The initial sizzle made Viktor jump. “Holy!” He dumped the egg mixture onto the pan instead of pour it slowly. He used too much oil that it splashed out to the sides and up into the air. Viktor got some drops of hot oil on his arms. He was flailing around dramatically not noticing Yurio laughing at him. “Holy crap, I can’t do this!”

After a struggle, Viktor managed to place a barely edible-looking scrambled egg on the table (crispy burnt on the edges but half-cooked in the middle) and two pieces of toast that were almost black on one side. Yurio took one look at it and pouted. He slid off the chair and headed over to the fridge. Their mother also bought a lot of yogurt drinks for snacks. “I guess this will have to do,” Yurio thought, handing an orange-flavored one to his older brother.

They eventually made it to Yurio’s school. Viktor flashed the teacher his heart-shaped smile and she almost fell over. “ _Ohayo gozaimasu, sensei!_ ” he said cheerfully. Yurio was enrolled to an international school but their parents urged them to still learn the local language. “I shall entrust my little kitten to you.” Yurio pulled his hand away from his brother in annoyance.

“Goodbye. Go away,” he mumbled, hiking up his tiger head backpack higher on his shoulders. “I want chicken noodle soup for dinner later.”

Viktor waved goodbye as he drove away. “Noodle soup, huh? I can buy that from the store,” he thought. But he also wanted to do something special for his only brother. “How about I try and make it myself! How hard can that be?”

Back at the preschool, Yurio hoped and prayed hard that he’ll have a full stomach by the time he goes to bed.

 

****************************

 

Yuuri buried deeper into his futon. He didn’t want to get up and face the day. He lost his dog Vicchan exactly a week ago and it still hurt. It’s going to hurt for a long time. Vicchan was his companion for the past 13 years; they pretty much grew up together. It was like he lost half of his soul.

“Yuuuuuriiiiii-kuuuun,” he heard from the other side of his door. “You’re not missing another day of school. Vicchan will not like that.” That sent Yuuri to another sobbing episode. “Please, Yuuri. Don’t be like this.” He finally slid his door open to let his best friend in. Phichit stood there holding a glass of milk and a sandwich for Yuuri. “There you are. Come on, let’s eat.” He was originally from Thailand and his family moved to Japan when he was ten. Yuuri and Phichit were inseparable ever since.

Phichit pushed his way into the room and tried to comb the hair out of Yuuri’s swollen eyes. He refused to exit his room since Vicchan died and he desperately needed a shower and a change of clothes.

“Aw man,” Phichit sighed. “Yuuri, come on. Look, if you don’t want to go to school, I’ll go with you. Wherever you want to go. Ice Castle, the park, Hasetsu Castle…” Yuuri blinked in acknowledgement. “But we’re for sure going to school tomorrow.”

Yuuri started taking small bites from the sandwich. “Classic BLT, too much kewpie mayo, and not enough pepper,” he said to himself. Yuuri loves food. Unfortunately, he had to watch what he ate because he gained weight very easily. He could pick out individual flavors from dishes, even drinks. But his sister, Mari, never allowed him in the kitchen. He tried helping out once but he ended up spilling a pot of boiling water. Fortunately, no one was hurt but they ended up wasting so much food that day. She always cooked for them. Mari was in France studying to be a chef so while she was away, the family’s restaurant was closed. In her absence, Yuuri’s mom did all the cooking in their onsen’s kitchen.

“How does that sound?” Phichit pushed. Yuuri waited until he finished his sandwich before answering with a soft, “Mmhmm.” Then he let himself be pulled out of bed and into the bathroom.

****************************

 

Yuuri’s mom packed them a lunch of rice balls and lemon tea. Then Phichit led them to the beach to hangout. He was doing most of the talking anyway. Around 1 o’clock, Phichit got a call from his parents asking him for help at their grocery.

“Phichit, your rice balls…” Yuuri said weakly, holding out the bento.

“Don’t worry about that, Yuuri,” he said, brushing off the sand on his jeans. “You eat them. Make me some more next time. I’ll see you later.” The Japanese man waved back.

Alone again, Yuuri decided to walk or else he’d go back to the depressed funk he had that morning. He repacked his lunch and started walking with no particular destination in mind. He was born and raised in Hasetsu. He loved small town living. Since it became popular with foreigners and tourists, he started learning English not only through his school but independently. It helped so much when his parents took over the operations of the hot springs inn. He had friends but he mostly kept to himself. Vicchan was the only constant in his life.

“But now he’s gone and I’m all… oops!” Yuuri collided with a very solid… “Body?” he thought. He expected to hit the ground but a strong pair of arms held him upright.

“ _Daijoubu?_ ” the solid body asked. Yuuri looked up and saw the bluest eyes he’d ever seen. And he spoke Japanese! Blue Eyes repeated the question and Yuuri thought it was weird hearing his language come out fluently from a foreigner’s mouth. “Are you hurt?”

Yuuri snapped out of it. “Yes, yes. No! I’m not hurt,” he stammered. “Everything is okay,” he said carefully in English.

“Oh good, I thought I hurt you,” the foreigner said in English. It was slightly accented. Yuuri stood up on his own two feet. “But it seems that my burger didn’t fare any better,” he continued looking down on the ground towards the ruined sandwich.

Yuuri jumped back. “I am very sorry!” he bowed in apology. “I can buy you another one.” He said reaching for his wallet.

“No need for that,” the foreigner said, stopping Yuuri with a hand on his wrist. A blush spread on the Japanese man’s cheeks. “It’s totally fine. Besides, it was just a generic _konbini_ burger. No big deal.” The foreigner’s smile almost made Yuuri’s heart stop.

Then Yuuri got an idea. He reached into his bag and presented the bento to the stranger. “Please have this instead,” he said with a bow. “There are _onigiri_ by my mother. They are very good.”

“Are you sure?” the foreigner asked, a fingertip on his lips. “I am not putting you out?”

“I have another one so it is no trouble,” Yuuri explained. When the foreigner reached out to take the bento, their fingers touched. Both of them flinched. “Sorry.”

The foreigner was blushing, his eyes shining. “Please don’t apologize,” he smiled. Then he read the sticker on the bento’s lid. “Yu-topia Katsuki Restaurant and Inn?”

The Japanese man cringed. Yuuri’s mom used one of the onsen’s takeout containers. “Ah yes… it is my family’s onsen. Uhm, hot springs?”

“Really?” the foreigner exclaimed. “Can you tell me where it is? Is it kid-friendly?”

“It is not too far from here,” Yuuri explained the best he could. “And we have shallow pools for children as well. Please come visit if you can.” Yuuri didn’t know what compelled him to say that. He didn’t even know this stranger’s name!

“Wonderful!” the foreigner smiled. “Please. I’ll buy us some drink and do have lunch with me…” he said, waiting for Yuuri to say his name.

Yuuri felt panic building up inside him. “I’m sorry. I have to go,” he dodged the arm about to go around his shoulders. “Please enjoy the food.” And then he walked to a random direction away from the foreigner. After a few strides, he heard an exclamation of _vkusno_ which Yuuri knew meant “tasty” in Russian.

 

****************************

 

“ _Tadaima_ ,” Yurio exclaimed as he kicked off his shoes. He waited for Viktor to do the same before lining them up perfectly into their cubby. “I’m hungry,” he said, tugging at Viktor’s pants.

“I have just the thing!” the older man said, raising a plastic bag over his brother’s head. “Let me just heat some water and we’ll be eating in no time.”

Yurio expected a homemade chicken noodle soup just like what his Mama made. But Viktor’s idea of the dish was instant cup ramen. The little boy felt so disappointed that tears immediately fell from his expressive green eyes.

Viktor almost dropped his shopping bag. He scrambled to kneel in front of his brother who was now loudly sobbing. “I’m sorry, Yuri,” Viktor tried to console him. “You know I can’t cook as well as Mama. I don’t think I can cook at all.” Yurio just cried louder. “This is the best I can do. Please stop crying.” Viktor tried to hug his brother but Yurio pushed him away.

Yurio ran to his room shut the door as forcefully as his five-year-old strength could muster. Viktor went after him, leaving the groceries on the floor. Viktor sat on the bed beside Yurio who was cocooned in his tiger stripe comforter.

“I’m doing the best I can here, Yuri,” Viktor pleaded. “I know it’s not the best but I’m trying.”

“Go away!” the little boy said, voice muffled by the sheets. “I want Mama!” And chicken noodle soup.

Viktor sighed, defeated. But he couldn’t let Yurio sleep with an empty stomach and a broken heart. He could go to the store and buy canned soup and heat it. That’s better than instant noodles. But… “I got it!” he said to himself. “Stay here, Yurio. I have an idea,” he went back to out to get his bag. He remembered the rice balls he had for lunch. They were the best rice balls he’d ever eaten. He was on his last bite when he remembered to save one for Yurio but at least he saved the box.

Pulling his hair back to a loose ponytail, he skipped back to Yurio’s bedroom. “ _Kotyonok,_ we’re going out tonight!” Viktor said, carrying Yurio, comforter and all. The little boy peeked out from the seam, glaring at his big brother. “There’s my little soldier. Go clean up, okay? I’ll be right with you.”

Viktor hoped that Yu-topia Katsuki Restaurant and Inn served chicken noodle soup.

 

****************************

 

“ _Irasshasimase_! Welcome to…” Yuuri trailed off when he noticed the newest guest they had at the inn. They were told to welcome guests in Japanese first then English. But when Yuuri saw the couple at the door, all the languages he knew left him.

“ _Konbanwa_!” the silver-haired man greeted. It was the foreigner from this afternoon! He was holding hands with a small boy with piercing green eyes. “Are we at the right place?”

“Yuuri!” a voice called from the back of the room. Both Yuuri and the little boy replied with a “ _Hai?_ ” Then they both stared at each other in confusion. The stranger was holding back a laugh.

“ _Okasan?_ ” Yuuri said as his mother walked over holding a broom.

“ _Arara_ , we have guests!” she switched to English. “Welcome to Yu-topia Katsuki Inn! I am Hiroko Katsuki. This is my son Yuuri. He can help you.”

“Ah _Yuuri!_ ” the stranger chuckled. “Just like my little Yuri here. But we call him ‘Yurio.’” He carried the child in his arms, planting a kiss on his cheek. The child wiped it away with a chubby arm. “My name is Viktor Nikiforov and I am in search of a meal for myself and my brother,” he explained to the two. Both of their faces dropped. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Ah sorry,” the Japanese Yuuri said. “We are only operating as an inn right now. My sister is the chef responsible for the restaurant but she is not here.”

“Yes, yes,” Yuuri’s mother continued. “She is in France for school. I only cook small meals.” Yurio, understanding the conversation, realized that maybe he’s not going to have his soup after all. He started tearing up, burying his face against Viktor’s neck so that the strangers wouldn’t see. “Oh dear…”

Yuuri was standing there frozen. He was rattled by the very attractive foreigner but he could not stand sad and crying children. Immediately, he stepped forward and placed a hand on the Russian Yuri’s head. “Please don’t cry,” Yuuri said, then switched to Japanese, his voice gentle and soothing, “Daijoubu...”

Viktor held his breath. This Yuuri was so close and his Yuri was actually calming down at a stranger’s touch. Yuuri held up Yurio’s hair trying to look at the little face. Viktor almost cried himself. His brother looked like he was smiling!

“W-we should…” Viktor started to say.

“ _Okasan_ ,” Yuuri interrupted, facing his mother, “Can I borrow the keys to the restaurant? I promise I will clean up after we’re done.” A warm smile brightened up the older lady’s face. Yuuri turned back to Viktor. “Please wait here. I’ll be right back.”

Confused, Viktor did was he was told. Yurio wiped his face free of tears and snot. In a short while, Yuuri came back out with keys in his hand. They exited the inn towards the direction of a smaller building next door.

“ _Anou_ , we haven’t used the restaurant since my sister left,” Yuuri explained, filling up the silence. “But the kitchen is recently cleaned. We use it for storage for the inn and for our household so it is fully stocked.” He unlocked the door and continued, “You don’t have to remove your shoes. While the onsen is very traditional Japanese, our restaurant caters to Western tastes.”

Then Viktor realized what was happening, “Oh my god, Yuuri no,” he said, trying to pick up a struggling Yurio. “You don’t need to do this at all. We can go find food somewhere else.” Yurio kept on pushing him away, whimpering. “Yurio, let’s go. Thank you so much for your time, Yuuri. I’m sorry to bother-” but he was cut off by a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Please, Mr. Nikiforov,” the foreign name sounding strange on his tongue, “Let me do this. For Yurio-chan, at least. I want to do this.”

Viktor looked down to Yurio. His eyes looked so hopeful. Paired with Yuuri’s soulful brown eyes, he had no choice but to say yes. “Okay. But only this one time. And please, call me ‘Viktor.’”

“One time,” Yuuri said. Viktor thought he sounded sad. Before he could ask about it, Yurio began to cheer and tugged at both Viktor’s and Yuuri’s pant legs urging them to hurry up.

 

****************************

 

They had Yurio perched on a bar stool with the toddler promising that he wouldn’t move carelessly. Yuuri even provided him a child-sized apron and a spare soup ladle. Viktor tied his hair up to a bun and put his own apron on.

When they entered the kitchen, Yuuri said he was going to cook for them. Viktor protested saying that he wanted to cook too. Yurio scoffed and said, “Viktor can’t even cook eggs.”

“But I can boil water at least,” Viktor protested. They bickered for a bit.

Yuuri laughed. “To be honest, I can’t cook that well either. My sister is the best at that. But I like food so I want to try,” he said, laying out the recipe and ingredients in front of them. “The instructions are in English so it is easy for you to follow.”

“Yurio is learning Japanese right now,” Viktor said, “He is quite good at it. He already speaks English and Russian.”

“ _Hontou?_ ” Yuuri smiled at the little boy who promptly blushed. “ _Subarashii_! Maybe you can learn how to cook too.”

“Yes, and I’ll be better than Viktor,” Yurio said smugly. The older Russian clutched at his chest in feigned hurt.

“Yuuri,” Viktor said, examining the cans and bags on the prep table, “we’re using canned soup?”

It was Yuuri’s turn to blush. “Ah yes,” he said, handing Viktor a can opener. “I chose the easiest recipe from my sister’s collection and we have all we need on hand… and it only takes ten minutes! Yurio-chan might be hungry already.” Viktor glanced at the clock, it was almost 7:30PM.

As if on cue, Yurio’s stomach growled. Viktor burst out laughing. “Okay then. I’ll watch you, Yuuri. Tell me what to do.”

“My sister told me that there is magic to be done in cooking,” he said, pulling out the needed pot. “She liked making these canned soup and ready-made food into something more special. Here,” Yuuri said, handing the wooden mixing spoon to Viktor. “You can stir while I pour all these in.”

Viktor was being an obedient student. All he really needed to do was stir the soup until it was heated. Yurio followed what Yuuri was doing. The Japanese man pulled out a block of cheese and the box grater.

“Yuuri, should I put the pumpkin in next?” Viktor prompted.

“Yes, yes. Put in the cream too. Use the whisk to mix it in,” Yuuri replied, grating the cheese into a small bowl. He noticed Yurio watching him so he turned to the child and asked, “Do you want to help?” Yurio nodded immediately and held out his arms. “You can put in the cheese later. Can you do that for me?”

“Uh-huh,” the little boy said. “Can I have some?” Yuuri portioned off a bit of grated cheese onto a saucer and gave it to Yurio. He also took some for himself.

“Can I have some too?” Viktor asked from his place at the stove. Both Yuuri and Yurio held out their small plates. “My, my… when did I become so popular?” Yurio tsked while Yuuri blushed. “I’ll get from Yuuri here. He seems to appreciate me more.” Viktor smiled sweetly at the Japanese man.

“The soup is burning,” Yurio said, finishing off the last piece of cheese on his plate. That broke the intense eye contact between the older men in the room.

Viktor started to panic but Yuuri managed to calm him down before anything was spilled. “We’re good,” Yuuri chuckled. “Yurio-chan, it’s your turn.” The little boy perked up and allowed himself to be carried by his brother. Yuuri handed him the cheese and he carefully dropped it into the pot. “Very good, Yurio-chan. A little more. There you go.”

“Good job, _kotyonok_!” Viktor praised and Yurio looked pretty proud of himself. “Thank you for helping.”

“Keep stirring until the cheese has melted,” Yuuri instructed. “I’ll toast up some bread to go with the soup.”

In no time, the three were seated at one of the restaurant’s tables. “ _Itadakimasu_ ,” they all said, inhaling the rich aroma of the soups in front of them. Yurio was seated in the middle of the two men.

“Be careful, Yurio. It’s hot,” Viktor said, pushing his brother’s hair away from his face. They wanted the him to taste it first, to see his reaction.

Yurio blew on the spoon a bit and put it in his mouth. He paused. The adults looked at him in apprehension.

“Is it okay, Yurio-chan? Yuuri inquired. Silence. “Is there something wrong?” Then the little boy’s shoulders started to shake. “Yurio?!”

Viktor was equally alarmed. Did he fail his brother yet again? How many times could he break Yurio’s heart in a day?

But Yurio finally slid the spoon out of his mouth, clean as a whistle. “Yuuri!” The little boy hopped from his chair and into Yuuri’s arms. He had tears in his eyes but a smile was definitely there lighting up his face. “Thank you!”

“Do you like it?” Yuuri asked, giving Yurio a hug. The boy nodded, burying his face on Yuuri’s neck. “I’m glad.”

“Hey, I helped too!” Viktor said, feeling a bit left out. To his surprise, Yurio reached out his hand to him. “You’re welcome, Yurio.” He looked up to meet Yuuri’s eyes and mouthed, “Thank you.”

They all dug into their meals. Yurio even asked for more toast to dip into his soup. The sounds Viktor made were almost sinful that Yuuri had to will himself not to blush.

At the end of the night, Yuuri packed up the leftovers for Yurio to have for breakfast the next day. Viktor offered to wash the dishes while Yurio helped wipe the table that they used. Yuuri was dreading saying goodbye because Viktor said it himself, this was a one-time thing.

The Japanese man felt a tug at his sleeve. He looked down and there was Yurio, asking to be carried. “Did you have fun today?” Yuuri asked. The little boy nodded, his blonde hair flying everywhere. “I did too.”

“What are we making next time?” Yurio asked. Yuuri paused, hugging the little boy a bit tighter. Yuuri looked at Viktor, eyes filled with hope. “I want to help!”

Yuuri and Viktor looked at each other. Yuuri didn’t know what to say. As much as Viktor had fun tonight, he could not impose on their cute Japanese host. “We’ll see, Yurio,” Viktor said, collecting his brother from Yuuri. “What do we say?”

“Thank you, Yuuri,” Yurio said, eyes bright and shining. And in a softer voice, “Thank you too, Viktor, I guess.” Viktor attacked his little brother with kisses. At the door, Viktor made to shake Yuuri’s hand. “We both had fun, Yuuri. Thank you.”

“I had fun too, Viktor,” Yuuri said, the dim light masking the heat on his cheeks. Yuuri didn’t want to let go. “Please visit our onsen. We have a child-size pool available and private hot springs as well…” Yuuri tended to babble when he’s nervous.

Viktor found it so adorable. “We will, Yuuri,” he chuckled. “We’ll see you again soon.”

“Bye, Yuuri!” Yurio waved from over Viktor’s shoulder as they walked away.

After the pair turned the corner, Yuuri’s knees gave out, his heart beating fast.

“I’m so screwed,” he said to himself, still feeling the warmth of Viktor’s hand. He held it close to his racing heart. “So screwed.”

 

****************************

 

Yurio raced to their fridge as soon as they got home. The takeout container was still a bit warm. He was excited for breakfast the next morning.

“Time for bed, _kotyonok_ ,” Viktor said. “I’ll go meet you in the bathroom, okay?” Viktor cleaned up a little bit and headed on over to the bathroom. “Ready for your bath, kitten?” And then he noticed something different in Yurio’s attire. “Hey, isn’t that Yuuri’s little apron?”

Yurio clutched at the thin material. “I want to keep it,” Yurio said, “so I can help cook again.”

“You have to take it off to take a bath though,” Viktor said. “I promise. I’ll keep it safe.” The boy slowly undressed, handing his clothes to his big brother. Viktor gingerly folded the apron, putting it close to his face. It smelled like home cooking and Yuuri. He took a deep sniff of it.

“You’re being weird again,” Yurio said climbing into the tub.

“Yurio! We’re going to the onsen tomorrow,” Viktor exclaimed. “If only to give the apron back,” he thought. But deep down, he knew he wanted to see the sweet Japanese man again.

 

* * *

 

More notes:

I have tried out this recipe and it is quite nice. Salt and pepper to taste, of course. I watch a lot of Food Network and The Cooking Channel. When I was younger, I saw this show/segment where they made canned soup taste homemade. That's where this idea is from.


	2. Cilantro Lime Shrimp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our boys tackle seafood!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for such a positive response to my little project. It means a lot and it seriously motives me to write more. I love you all as much as little Yurio loves cats!
> 
> A bit of background on this chapter's recipe: cilantro lime shrimp is one of my favorite foods from Costco, second only to the chicken bake. When I looked up how to make it, it was stupidly easy. Unfortunately, I cannot have it often because a lot of my family members are allergic to shellfish. Luckily, I'm not one of them! *wink*

[[CILANTRO LIME SHRIMP]](http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a49218/cilantro-lime-shrimp-recipe/)

 

Ingredients:

  * 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  * 4 cloves garlic, grated 
  * 2 limes, zested and juiced
  * Salt and pepper
  * 1 lb medium tail-on shrimp, peeled & deveined
  * 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  * ¼ cup cilantro



Instructions:

  1. In a large skillet over medium heat add olive oil and garlic; sauté for 1 minute. Add lime zest and juice, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and shrimp. Cook until pink, about 2 minutes.
  2. Turn off heat and add butter and cilantro. Stir until butter is melted and creates a silky sauce. Serve immediately.
  3. Can be served over rice and steamed vegetables.



****************************

 

Yurio was happily munching away at this toast dipped in leftover chicken soup. Viktor actually managed not to burn the bread this time. He was waiting for the coffee maker to finish brewing content on just watching his little brother eat. He was visibly vibrating on his booster seat as Viktor was heating the soup. 

“Good, Yurio?” Viktor asked, adding far too much sugar in his coffee. Yurio nodded, swallowing another spoonful. “Yuuri left us the recipe so maybe one day we can make it again.”

“And Yuuri?” the little boy asked. “I want Yuuri.” Viktor could see the beginnings of a pout forming.

“We’ll see,” Viktor said. “After all, we still have to return that apron to the onsen.” Yurio didn’t want to give it back but if it meant seeing Yuuri again, he was okay with it. “Come on, kitten. It’s time to go to school.”

 

****************************

 

Yuuri was minding his own business, sitting under a tree at lunchtime. Phichit was nowhere to be found, “Probably out tutoring,” Yuuri thought. Phichit’s circle of friends is far larger than his. Yuuri managed to keep a low profile at school despite his family owning the only surviving onsen in town. He would often see school mates at their hot springs but conversation never went beyond greetings. Phichit knows everybody. And being one of the smartest in their school, other kids wanted his help in their studies.

His mom prepared a [**chicken ball and steamed vegetable bento**](http://www.justonecookbook.com/chicken-meatball-bento/) for him. He insisted that she stop making her the cutely designed ones but, “You are my baby and that will never change,” his mother dramatically said. He would protest on the outside but there’s always a smile in his heart whenever his mother did it.

“Can I have that last meatball?” a voice called and a heavy bag thudded on the ground beside him. Phichit collapsed beside it. “Guang-hong was so nervous about his test that he ate through his lunch, Leo’s, and mine.”

Yuuri held out the chicken meat ball. “You can have my orange too,” he offered.

“Hmm… hey, it’s chicken!” Phichit said. “And teriyaki… and… what’s that? I can taste one other thing.”

“Tofu,” Yuuri supplied, finishing off a strawberry. “And  _ okasan _ used yellow bell peppers instead of the green.” 

“Nothing gets past you, huh?” Phichit chuckled, picking up the last piece of brocolli. “So, do you have any plans after school?” Both of them are part of the “go-home club”.

Viktor’s face immediately popped into Yuuri’s head. While he was cleaning up last night, he found a paper napkin near the stove with a series of numbers on it. Beside that were the Cyrillic letters “ Виктор”. With the help of Google- _ kun _ , Yuuri realized that it was Viktor’s number. He was tempted to call him and invite him for dinner. But Viktor said it himself, it was a one time thing. Yet why leave his number?

“Earth to Yuuri,” Phichit snapped his fingers. “Can I get my best friend back?” Yuuri shook his head. “Great. If you don’t have anything, I could use the help at the grocery.”

“Sorry, Phichit. I’m needed at the onsen also,” he said. “I would, you know that.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Phichit said. “But do come by the shop later. We got a huge shipment of shrimp and my mom wants to give your mom some of it.”

“Thanks,” Yuuri smiled. He loved shrimp. He had been craving for ceviche for quite some time. “We can go home together. I’ll get it them.”

“Suh-weet!” the Thai cheered. “Now lemme at that orange.”

 

****************************

 

Viktor and Yurio were walking hand in hand through the downtown area looking for a place to eat. Yurio fussed a little bit; he wanted to go to Yuuri’s again. But Viktor was firm when he said that they were going out somewhere else.

“What do you want to eat tonight, Yurio?” Viktor asked. They continued walking, checking out the little store windows and menus. “Let’s see… ramen, sushi - no you don’t like that, I could use some curry, or maybe something easy like a chicken burger.”

“Yuuri!” the little boy called out. Without letting go of Viktor’s hand, he ran forward. “Yuuri!” he repeated.

“Yuuri? Wait Yurio…” Viktor said, being dragged by his little brother. Then he looked up, meeting the bright brown eyes of the Japanese. “Hi.”

“Viktor. Yurio!” Yuuri said. The kid wrapped his arms around Yuuri’s legs. He was dressed in the local high school’s uniform, standard issue bag in one hand and a plastic bag of what looked like seafood in the other. “What are you doing here?”

The taller Russian took the time to look at Yuuri. He looked young, that’s for sure, and his heart sank a little. “You’re in high school,” he said.

“Ah yes… I am in my final year,” the Japanese explained. He debated whether to return the question but Yurio beat him to it.

“I am five and Viktor is an old man,” the little boy said. 

“You wound me,  _ kotyonok _ ,” Viktor gasped. “I am merely twenty. This glorious hair is platinum. Not gray.”

“Old man,” Yurio repeated. He enjoyed riling up his brother. “I like Yuuri.”

The Japanese man laughed at the exchange. “But Yurio, I’m not that much younger than Viktor,” he patted the child’s head. “Are you out getting dinner?” Yurio nodded. “Oh yeah? What are you guys having?”

“What are we making?” Yurio asked cheerfully. Yuuri met Viktor’s eyes. He expected rejection but the blue eyes looked happy.

“It’s up to Yuuri this time,” Viktor said. “You picked the last time, right Yurio?” 

Yuuri smile could light up the whole town. And it definitely made Viktor’s heart skip a beat. “Well, I have shrimp here. Maybe we can make something with it.” Yuuri said. “Does Yurio eat shrimp at all? No allergies?” 

Viktor kneeled down to his brother. “How about it, Yurio? Do you like shrimp?” The little boy nodded excitedly. “Then shrimp it is! Lead the way, Yuuri.”

 

****************************

 

“ _ Tadaima _ ,” Yuuri called out, going through the onsen’s front doors instead of the household entrance.

“What do we say, Yurio?” Viktor prompted.

“ _ Ojamashimasu _ ,” Yurio said. Viktor repeated the greeting. 

They were met with Yuuri’s mother, Hiroko. “ _ Konnichiwa _ , Viktor-chan, Yurio-chan!” she said, waving at them. “You’re going to help cook again, Yurio-chan?”

“ _ Hai! _ ” the little boy said, hiding behind Viktor’s legs. 

“Thank you for having us,” Viktor said. “I hope we’re not much trouble.”

“I am happy that you’re here,” Hiroko said. Yuuri excused himself to freshen up, handing the bag of shrimp to his mom. “It is nice that someone gets to use Mari’s kitchen while she is away. And it is also good for my boy,” she turned her head towards where Yuuri went, “He could definitely use some more friends in his life.”

“I am Yuuri’s friend,” Yurio said proudly. 

“Yes, you are, Yurio-chan,” Hiroko said, patting him on the cheek. “ _ Arigatou. _ Now, you wait for Yuuri here while I clean the shrimp.”

“Thank you very much, ma’am,” Viktor said, bowing.

Yuuri changed into some track pants and a loose grey t-shirt. He was holding key with a maneki-neko keychain on it. “Kitty!” Yurio said, pointing to the charm.

“Ah yes, you like?” Yuuri asked, dangling it near the child.

“It’s his favorite animal,” Viktor explained. 

“I see. Here, you can hold it,” Yuuri said. “And you can unlock the door for us. Viktor will hold you up.” Yurio dashed towards the restaurant leaving the two adults in the middle of the foyer. “Uhm… shall we go after him?”

Viktor raised his hand, intending to hold Yuuri’s but settled to putting a hand on the Japanese man’s shoulder. “Yeah, let’s go.”

 

****************************

 

“Oh no, we forgot the apron at home!” Viktor said. “Yurio, was it in your bag?”

“You told me to leave it,” the little boy said. “I said I want to help Yuuri.” 

The brothers looked like they were going to argue when Yuuri decided to interrupt. “Well Yurio, I don’t have an extra apron but I may have a mission for you.” Yuuri pulled out some paper and crayons from behind the front-of-house desk. “How about you make me a picture of us cooking? Can you do that for me?” The kid eyed him. “Then I’ll put it on the wall for everyone to see.”

Yurio shook his head. “Just Yuuri! I don’t want everyone to see,” he said, pouting. Viktor beamed at Yuuri, mouthing, “He’s shy.”

“Okay, I’ll keep it in my room then,” he laughed. He handed the little boy the art supplies and sat beside Viktor who was leafing through the recipe book. “Do you see anything we can do?”

“Oh Yuuri, we can do anything!” Viktor said, grabbing one of Yuuri’s hand. “Whatever you want!” Yuuri blushed furiously at the contact but didn’t shy away. “What do you have in mind?”

Hiroko picked that moment to drop in with the cleaned shrimp. “Hello there, boys. I peeled the shrimp and deveined it for you,” she shuffled inside. “I hope you don’t mind that I kept some for your  _ otousan _ , Yuuri-chan.”

“This is more than enough,  _ okasan. Arigatou _ ,” Yuuri said, hand still in Viktor’s. Hiroko saw it and smiled warmly. 

“Okay,” she said, grinning. “You boys behave.” Yuuri noticed the warmth around his hand and quickly pulled away. Yurio was oblivious to it all.

“I-I think we can do this,” Yuuri said, pointing to the open page. “Mari  _ nee-chan _ made this for me once and I remember liking it.”

Viktor studied the recipe. “It’s easy enough. I think we can manage this,” he said, procuring a hair tie from his pocket and expertly tying up his hair. 

“Yes, yes,” Yuuri said, handing him an apron. “And  _ okasan _ did most of the work for us. All we need is to cook the  _ ebi _ . Maybe we can put some aside to make tempura even.”

“That’s a good idea, Yuuri! Let’s do that next time!” Viktor smiled widely, securing another meeting. Yuuri’s cheeks reddened at that. 

The Japanese man collected the ingredients as Viktor readied the pots and pans and bowls needed. “I remember  _ nee-san _ saying that this is an appetizer but I can make rice so we can make a full meal out of it. Maybe some miso soup too? Would Yurio like that?”

“Yurio likes that,” the little boy answered from his perch. “Viktor too.” The taller Russian nodded. 

“Okay, I will leave you in charge of the shrimp then, Viktor,” Yuuri said, shoving the recipe book towards the silver-haired man. 

“No!” Yurio protested, arms flailing. “He’ll burn it!”

“Ye have little faith, wee brother?” Viktor sighed dramatically. 

And with a blank face, Yurio said, “No,” sending Viktor collapsing on the floor.

Yuuri was full on laughing at the scene. “I’ll be right here, Yurio. I won’t let Viktor burn it.” Yuuri reached down to help Viktor up. “I promise.” 

He started zesting the lime with a microplane, spinning the fruit as the green skin was grated off. Yurio was watching him intently. “That’s not cheese,” the boy said. “It smells good.”

“This is a lime,” Yuuri said, holding up the fruit. He handed one to Yurio. “It’s like a lemon. We’re going to use some of the skin and the juice. Do you want to taste?” The kid nodded. Yuuri sliced one open and gave that to Yurio. “Give it a lick.”

Yurio did and his face scrunched up. He set it aside, drinking deep from his tumbler. “Are you okay,  _ kotyonok? _ Did it make you cry?” Viktor teased. Yurio stuck his tongue out to him.

“Viktor, stop teasing him,” Yuuri said. “You’d make the same face, I’m sure.” He held out the other half of the lime to Viktor. The Russian took it and gave it a lick. “I take it back. Yurio’s face is cuter.” Yurio smiled triumphantly at his brother. 

After downing his own glass of water, Viktor slumped against the wall. “Yuuri, not you too,” he said. “I cannot compete with a cherubic face of a young child!” 

“Cook the shrimp properly and maybe I’ll rethink my decision,” Yuuri said as he chopped the cilantro and garlic, putting them in small bowls. “I think I’ll toast up some bread instead of rice. The shrimp will take no time to cook.”

“Challenge accepted,” Viktor said, sounding more confident than what he really felt. He even played around with the idea of setting up his phone timer so he won’t go over or below the two minutes suggested on the recipe.”I can do this,” he said to himself. He felt the gazes of Yuuri and Yurio fixed on him and it was his turn to impress them.

“I accidentally chopped more garlic that what we need so maybe you can do smaller batches,” Yuuri said, looking over the recipe once more. “You’ll know when the shrimp is done cooking.”

“I want to help!” Yurio said.

“Yurio can brush the butter on the shrimp as soon as it’s done,” Yuuri suggested. He dragged Yurio’s chair closer to them, preparing the dish for the cooked seafood. “ _ Sa~a, hajimeyou _ .”

Viktor nodded and started with the oil. He tentatively added the garlic once the oil was hot enough. The kitchen was filled with the warm smell of cooked garlic, releasing its flavors into the air. “Smells good,” Yurio admitted. Encouraged, Viktor added the dry ingredients and enough shrimp to cover the bottom of the pan. In no time, the shrimp turned pink.

“I’m doing it, Yurio!” Viktor cheered. The little boy readied his basting brush. As soon as Viktor spooned the shrimp on to the platter, Yuuri patted some butter on it while Yurio carefully spread it. “Good job,  _ kotyonok. _ ” Yurio also sprinkled the chopped cilantro over the platter as the butter melted.

Once they had a sort of assembly line going on, Yuuri brought out a saucepan to work on the miso soup. He kept on bumping elbows with Viktor, pushing at each other playfully. When all the food was done, Viktor volunteered to plate everything as Yuuri cut up the bread.

“ _ Itadakimasu _ ,” Yurio said as Viktor put a few pieces of shrimp on his plate. Yuuri placed a saucer of dinner rolls at the center of the table. The Japanese man held his breath as Yurio took his first tentative bite. His green eyes bugged out and he shoved the rest of the shrimp into his mouth.

“Good?” Viktor inquired, sitting at Yurio’s right. The boy nodded excitedly, already working on the next shrimp. He sighed in relief.

“ _ Itadakimasu _ ,” the older boys said in unison. It was another successful dinner.

 

****************************

 

Yurio went back to finishing his drawing after their meal. He said he wanted to include the shrimp in the picture. Viktor washed the dishes as Yuuri dried them. They were awkwardly quiet, exchanging smiles and glances every now and then.

“Uhm, Viktor,” Yuuri broke the silence. “Thank you.”

“What for, Yuuri?” the Russian asked.

“Just…” he didn’t know himself exactly. “For agreeing to do this, I guess.” He smiled shyly at the taller man. “And…” he took a deep breath. “I’ll text you my number later, okay? So we can talk about our next meal.”

“You can text me anytime for anything, Yuuri,” Viktor said cheekily. Yuuri promptly blushed.

“I’m done!” Yurio said, bursting the little bubble. He was holding up his drawing. 

“Let me see,” Yuuri said, drying his hands. “Wow… uh…” Yuuri squinted his eyes at Yurio’s masterpiece. 

There were three blobs at the center of the paper, one was blue, a yellow, then a brown one. All three looked like they had cat ears on. Around the blobs were pink crescent moon shapes and green dots. 

Yurio leaned on to Yuuri’s side and explained, “These are cats. Viktor cat, Yurio kitten, and Yuuri cat.” He pointed to each blob. “I don’t have a white crayon so Viktor is blue. I am yellow and you are brown.” Yuuri then noticed the lines on the “Yuuri cat” blob representing his glasses. “And these are shrimp,” he pointed to the pink lines.

“I see,” Yuuri said, his heart warm.

“Yurio likes drawing cats,” Viktor said, sidling over to Yuuri’s side, ruffling his brother’s hair. “That looks great, kitten.” Yurio bowed his head, slightly embarrassed.

“ _ Arigatou,  _ Yurio-chan,” Yuuri said. “I will take very good care of this.” Yurio gave him a very bright smile.

“Ah Yuuri,” Viktor said as they were ready to go. “We can’t come tomorrow, unfortunately.” Yurio’s face fell. “Sorry,  _ kotyonok _ . I promised Chris that I’ll help him with the party tomorrow. You’d have to stay with Yakov and Lilia. I’ll make it up to you. How about  pirozhki?”

“I want cupcakes too,” Yurio pouted. 

“My friend Chris works at a bakery,” Viktor explained. “You might know it. ‘Sweet Rapsodie?’”

Yuuri nodded. “Phichit and I used to go there a lot. Phichit is my best friend.”

“Used to?” 

“Ah yes,” Yuuri said bashfully, “I-er… I tend to gain weight easily. So Phichit said he won’t allow me to eat them much anymore.”

Viktor huffed. “I’m sure this Phichit is a nice person but I don’t agree with him.”

“I’ll bring you a cookie,” Yurio said. “That won’t make you fat,” the boy said bluntly.

“Yuri Plisetsky!” Viktor exclaimed, silencing Yurio with a hand on the mouth. “That’s not a nice thing to say!”

Yuuri noticed Viktor mentioned a different last name but decided that it was for another conversation. “It’s okay, guys,” he chuckled. “One cookie. That’s it.”

“And we won’t tell Phichit,” Viktor said and that was that.

* * *

 

Thank you for reading! *chu~*


	3. Chicken Quesadilla

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phichit helps out with a little suggestion from Leo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the love, guys! Your kudos and comments are very much appreciated. I'll try to keep the recipes simple and varied. I mean, the recipes are part of the story, yes, but it's mostly about our adorable little podium family. :-)
> 
> I jumped around between a pasta dish and this... and I think something baked. But I went with this because it was easy. I'm not very familiar with Mexican food but I know I like eating AND making quesadillas. I modified the recipe a little bit from the original source; I happen to like bell peppers LOL. 
> 
> Also, see if you can spot a little something that ties this story to "Sweetness and Lightning" apart from the character parallels. You get a virtual donut if you do!

[[ **CHICKEN QUESADILLA**](https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/easy-chicken-quesadillas)]

 

Ingredients:

  * 8 flour tortillas (8 inches)
  * 4 teaspoons butter, melted
  * 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  * finely chopped onion (medium)
  * 2 medium tomato, diced
  * bell peppers, seeded and sliced to strips (green and/or red)
  * frozen diced cooked chicken, thawed and chopped



Instructions:

  1. Brush one side of each tortilla with butter.
  2. Place tortillas, buttered side down, on a pan; sprinkle with cheese, onion, peppers, tomato and chicken.
  3. Top with remaining tortillas, buttered side up.
  4. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
  5. Cut into wedges.



 

Serves 4.

****************************

 

The kitchen was dark. The boys didn’t have anything planned that night but Viktor texted Yuuri that he was on his way to the onsen with Yurio. “We already had a quick dinner so don’t trouble yourself,” the message said. Yuuri’s mom made some _onigiri_ for them to share anyway.

Yurio looked angry as he stomped into the receiving area. Viktor followed him in carrying both their school bags. Yuuri closed the book he was reading, putting it aside to greet the brothers. The little boy slumped to the floor, crossing his arms.

Yuuri looked at Viktor. It looked like the brothers came straight from their schools. “Yurio’s a little upset,” Viktor explained. “He got into a fight at school today.”

“JJ is stupid,” Yurio spat.

“Language, Yurio,” Viktor chastised.

“But he is!” the boy protested, slumping even further into a corner.

The older boys looked at each other and shrugged. “I got a call from his school his afternoon as I was getting done with my classes,” Viktor started. “His teacher said that Yurio was upset, screaming and crying at this JJ, a boy from his class.”

“Oh my,” Yuuri said, “are you hurt, Yurio?”

Yurio shook his head. “He ruined my cake,” he mumbled, pulling his cat hoodie lower to hide his face.

“Cake?” Yuuri mouthed to Viktor.

“Chris gave him an extra slice of chocolate cake yesterday,” Viktor explained. “Yurio brought it to  school for his snack.”

“I wanted to share it with Otabek. I told him I was getting him cake,” Yurio said almost inaudibly. “But JJ dropped it on the floor.” He tried stifling a sniff but they all heard it anyway. He buried his face on his knees and sobbed.

That broke Yuuri’s heart. He wanted to go to the little boy but didn’t know what to say.

“That is not a reason to push him, Yurio,” Viktor sighed. “What you did is not very…” Yuuri stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“But I said sorry,” Yurio mumbled. “He said he wanted cake too. I only had enough for me and Otabek so I told him I’ll get him more tomorrow. Then he tried getting the fork in my hand.”

“Then in the scuffle, the cake fell from the table,” Viktor finished. “It was an accident.”

“Viktor,” Yuuri warned. Then he made his way to Yurio, sitting down on the floor beside him. The little boy leaned closer to his embrace, trying his hardest not to cry. “It’s okay, Yurio,” he soothed. “I’m sure Otabek doesn’t mind.”

Yurio’s head snapped up at him, tears trailing down his cheeks. “How did… you…” Viktor had the same confused question but kept it to himself. “JJ said… JJ said,” the little boy started to blush.

“Otabek is the new boy in Yurio’s class,” Viktor explained. “ _Kotyonok_ here made a friend.”

“He speaks Russian too,” Yurio said, face still pink. “He didn’t know anybody. He said he wanted to be friends.” Yurio’s head was down, peeking up from time to time, checking Yuuri’s reaction. The Japanese man nodded in encouragement. “JJ would pick on Otabek, hiding his bear during nap time. It’s not fair.” Viktor smiled warmly at his brother’s obvious concern.

“And you just want to help make Otabek happy?” Yuuri said, brushing blonde strands from Yurio’s forehead. The little boy nodded shyly. “Well, I think he’s happy that you are his friend. That he found someone in this weird new place. That you brought him cake. Don’t worry about JJ. Actually, I think he just wants your attention too. He wants to be your friend too.”

“I don’t like him,” Yurio grumbled. “He’s stu-” he stopped himself at Viktor’s glare. “He’s not very nice.”

“Even so, Yurio,” Yuuri said, hugging him a little bit tighter, “It’s bad to hurt other people. Viktor doesn’t like that. Otabek doesn’t like that. I don’t like that.”

“I know,” Yurio said, sounding very defeated. “I’m sorry.”

“I believe you,” Yuuri said, kissing the top of his head. Then he got an idea. “Tell you what… my mother made us rice balls.” He pointed to the plastic box on one of the tables. “How about you take them home. You and Viktor can have one then you bring the rest to school tomorrow to share. There’s plenty. You can give JJ one too.”

Viktor peered inside and counted six rice balls. “Look, Yurio! You can have them now or tomorrow morning for breakfast.”

“Gimme,” the little boy said, pushing himself up.

“Well, I guess you’re fine now,” Viktor chuckled. Then to Yuuri he mouthed, “Thank you.”

 

****************************

 

Yurio slept fitfully that night. He was all cried out by the time they left the onsen, _onigiri_ safely wrapped in a paper bag. The little boy promised to offer one to JJ as an apology. Yuuri told them it was okay to try out the hot springs but Viktor declined. “It’s a school day for all of us,” he said.

Viktor woke up before his little brother for a change. Something woke him up before their alarm and it was no use trying to back to sleep. Bleary eyed, he wandered into the kitchen for a drink of water. Then a random plastic bag caught his eye.

“Huh. The instant noodles that I bought a week ago,” he said to himself. They were the “just add water” kind. If you were to ask Viktor two weeks ago, he would’ve thought that this was a proper meal. It was quick, easy, and filling. But ever since his cooking adventures with Yuuri, he gained more confidence in himself in the kitchen.

He decided to surprise his brother with a special breakfast. He read somewhere that you can put a raw egg into cup noodles and it will be cooked with the rest of the soup. He knew he could boil water without incident but he was skeptical about the egg cooking in water. What if Yurio finds it weird?

He looked up a [**video**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoGzD_9t1Yw) on his phone and followed the instructions carefully. He also took out some of the microwave dinners in case things go awry. In no time, the water was boiled and Viktor was sitting on the dining table, waiting for the three minutes for the noodles and eggs to cook. He then poured the finished meal into a bigger bowl. He decided to skip the green onions on Yurio’s.

“Oh,” Viktor sighed. “It doesn’t… look…” like the photos online.

Yurio chose that moment to come into the kitchen. “Are you cooking?” he said, wiping sleep from his eyes. “It smells…” Viktor held his breath, “Not burning.”

Viktor perked up at that. “Good morning to you too, my dearest brother!” Viktor helped Yurio up on a booster seat and placed a glass of orange juice in front of him. He hesitated for a bit before presenting him with the bowl of noodles.

The boy eyed it suspiciously. “What did you do?” he asked. He poked at the yolk of the egg in the middle of his bowl.

Viktor plopped across the table from him. “It’s an experiment, Yurio!” He separated the chopsticks and started to mix up his own soup. “If you don’t want it, I can heat up one of those hamburger lunches that you like,” he said trying to sound confident. He was waiting for Yurio to take the first bite to gauge his reaction but it looked like the boy wouldn’t budge. “Oh come on, _kotyonok_ . It’s just noodles. Look,” he pierced the middle of his own sunny side up egg and took a bite, ready to fake a _vkusno_.

But that first bite was a burst of flavor. He somehow added just the perfect amount of soy sauce. The yolk was still a little watery that added a strange yet not unpleasant flavor and texture to his soup. “Yurio!” Viktor exclaimed, “ _Vkusno_!”

Seeing how excited his brother looked, Yurio picked up his fork and tried a piece. His egg was more solid in the middle, just the way he liked it. He braced himself for that first bite. And… it was surprisingly good.

When Yurio didn’t say anything, Viktor asked, “Is it okay? Is it too salty? The recipe didn’t say how much soy sauce to put in…” Viktor started to babble.

“It’s good, Viktor,” Yurio said after a mouthful. “I want extra corn on mine next time.” Viktor beamed at the ‘next time’.

“Yurio!” he launched himself across the table to hug his brother, careful of their food. He peppered the little boy with kisses.

“Get off!” Yurio complained. When Viktor did, Yurio shyly added, “Thank you. For the food, I mean.”

Viktor had the biggest smile on his face the whole day.

 

****************************

 

Viktor told Yuuri all about his success at breakfast. Yuuri was glued to his phone the whole lunch break, smiling and giggling as a new message popped up. Phichit started to notice his friend’s weird behavior.

“Care to share?” Phichit said, leaning against his friend. “I’ll split my Reese’s cups with you.”

Yuuri didn’t even look away from his phone when he answered, “A friend of mine is sharing his experience at breakfast this morning. He’s so proud of his ‘creation’”, he said with air quotes. “His brother liked it and now, he couldn’t stop smiling about it. He’s being a little extra.”

“A friend, huh? Why don’t I know about this other _friend_ ,” Phichit said, one dark eyebrow rising. He’d never seen Yuuri hang out with any other people.

Yuuri blushed, hiding his phone away. He never really talked about Viktor and Yurio to anyone and essentially, Phichit was his only friend. “Uhm… I met him at my sister’s restaurant a couple of weeks ago. He had this little brother with him.”

“I didn’t know Mari _nee-chan_ is back,” Phichit said. “Oooh, Yuuri… I didn’t know you had it in you. It’s the pure innocent charm in you...” He winked, nudging his friend on the side.

“It’s nothing like that, Phichit!” Yuuri protested. “And no, _nee-chan_ is still in France. Viktor, that’s his name,” and Phichit’s face split into a very wide grin, “he said he wanted to make food for his brother and… things just happened.”

“What things, if I may boldly ask,” Phichit pushed.

“ _Yabai_ , that sounded so wrong,” Yuuri said to himself, biting his lip. “Cooking, Phichit. _Cooking_!” He wanted the ground to swallow him whole. “Remember when you took me out of the house and left without eating the rice balls my mother made? I literally bumped into Viktor on the street a little bit after. He dropped his sandwich so I gave him the bento - that was supposed to be yours - to him in apology. He showed up at the onsen that same night with his brother Yuri.”

“The kid has the same name as you? That could be complicated. Very complicated,” Phichit said, mischief in his eyes.

“ _Phichit-kun_!” Yuuri cried out, pushing his friend to the grass as the Thai boy laughed. “We call him Yurio to avoid confusion.” Phichit gave him a thumbs up and a wink. “I totally walked into that, didn’t I?” Phichit patted Yuuri on the head good-naturedly.

Yuuri then told Phichit the whole story while sharing a pack of Reese’s peanut butter cups as promised. It felt nice to talk about Viktor and Yurio. He talked to them about Phichit many times. Both Viktor and Phichit were pretty social both in person and online, Yuuri was sure that they can be fast friends. It might take Yurio a while but Phichit is the most likeable person ever.

“Hey Yuuri,” Phichit said after he was done, “you look happy.”

“Huh? Where did that come from?” Yuuri asked, blushing red again.

“I don’t know. It’s just… you look...” Phichit said. “Is this Viktor nice to you? Scratch that… I know he is.” Yuuri raised an eyebrow. Phichit never was lost for words. “I’m glad.” He patted his Japanese friend on the shoulder warmly.

“You’re being weird, Phichit. But thank you,” Yuuri laughed it off. Then he got an idea. “Would you like to meet them? We’re meeting again tomorrow night at the restaurant. I can ask but I’m sure Viktor would be okay with it. The more the merrier.”

“I’m game,” Phichit said. “What are you guys making?”

“Not sure yet. But Viktor did give me choices,” Yuuri said, pulling up that particular message on his phone. “Either way, I will have to go to your store for ingredients.”

“Leave it to me!” Phichit exclaimed holding his hand up. “I will bring you the best stuff!”

 

****************************

 

Viktor was more than happy to meet Phichit. They arranged to meet at the restaurant after their classes. And they agreed on quesadillas. Apparently, Phichit got a very easy recipe from their classmate, Leo. Phichit supplied everything they needed but they still had to cook the chicken.

“But that’s not in the recipe!” Yuuri panicked. “It said it needed already cooked chicken.”

“Relax. Recipes are just guidelines. Besides, I’m here now,” Phichit said as they made their way to the onsen. “I actually know how to cook, you know. I’ll help. Oh, hello!”

Yuuri looked over the paper bag of vegetables in his arms, following Phichit’s gaze. Viktor and Yurio were already there waiting for them. Viktor was waving at them, huge smile on his face while Yurio was hugging a little stuffed tiger.

“You must be Viktor,” Phichit said as they reached the pair. “I’ve heard nothing but good things.”

Viktor nodded. “Likewise, Phichit,” he said. Then he introduced his brother, ruffling his hair, “And this is little Yuri. We call him Yurio.” Yurio looked up and waved shyly, not making eye contact with the new person in their group. “He’ll warm up to you. And oh, he brought a friend too.”

Yuuri knelt down to Yurio’s level. “Did you make another friend?” he asked, poking at the stuffed animal.

“Otabek gave it to me,” Yurio said softly, his cheeks pink and warm. “He also said thank you for the rice balls. It was good. JJ too.” Yuuri smiled at the little boy.

“Yes, Kanako- _sensei_ said Yurio was a good boy today, sharing his food with everyone,” Viktor explained.

“That’s great!” Phichit said, not really knowing the whole story. “Now, it’s time to cook. Are you helping us today, Yurio-chan?”

“I have my apron,” the little boy said. “I wanna help!”

“Awesome, let’s go!” Viktor said as they walked to the entrance of the restaurant.

 

****************************

 

“You guys work on those. I’ll worry about the chicken,” Phichit said, shooing them away from the stove.

“What are you going to do with the chicken?” Yuuri asked. He was securing the apron on Yurio. “Phichit, the whole point of this is so we all can learn how to make certain dishes.”

The Thai boy placed the chicken breasts on the cutting board. Viktor sat on a bar stool the brought from the dining room and sat Yurio on his lap. They were watching Phichit season the meat expertly with salt and pepper. “Nothing fancy,” Phichit said. “Your recipe calls for cooked chicken but we don’t have that. Therefore, I am cooking the chicken myself to save you the trouble.”

“I’ll watch,” Viktor said. “Yuuri can chop the veggies.”

“Gee, thanks,” Yuuri pouted. “Make sure you pay attention then. I’ll have you cook the chicken if ever we make this again.” Viktor beamed at him as Phichit gave both of them a thumbs up.

Phichit waited until the skillet was hot enough before placing the chicken on the hot oil. Yurio covered his ears at the initial sizzle. “Give each side at least 4-5 minutes. What I do is I slice a little to the middle,” Phichit explained, showing Viktor how to do it. “If it’s not cold and pink anymore, it’s pretty much cooked. But this is chicken so you have to be careful and cook it all the way.” Viktor nodded. “I’ll have you cut the chicken once they’re done.”

“Okay, I can do that,” Viktor said, going around to wash his hands. Phichit asked him to wash the cutting board too. Yuuri was done with his chore so he took Viktor’s place on the bar stool. Yurio’s weight was comfortable on his lap.

“Here you go, Viktor,” Phichit placed a cooked chicken breast on the cutting board. “Use the tongs to hold the meat in place then dice into cubes. They don’t have to be perfect.”

“Look, Yurio. Your brother’s doing a good job,” Yuuri said as they watched the older Russian work, slowly but surely.

“Take a picture, Yuuri!” Viktor said, very happy with himself. “My phone is with Yurio.” The little boy handed the phone to Yuuri. His home screen was Yurio in his apron while he was helping out Viktor recreate the soup dish. Viktor posed for a few shots, pulling Phichit in with him for some.

“I want a picture too,” Yurio said, reaching for the phone. “With Yuuri.” He expertly tapped the switching icon and turned the camera on the two of them. Viktor and Phichit were both dying inside of cute.

“Ahem anyway,” Phichit interrupted, handing the final chicken breast to Viktor, “Yuuri, you’re up. You can use this same skillet to cook the veggies. I’ll get my turn with Yurio!” He ushered his friend in front of the stove. Then he pulled out his phone and sat with Yurio. “We’ll take lots of pictures of them, don’t worry,” he said to the child.

Still a bit uncomfortable with Phichit, Yurio nodded as he watched the two older boys. Yuuri added a bit of butter to the skillet and added the vegetables, one kind at a time.

“Ew, onions,” Yurio said as Yuuri put them in. “I don’t like onions.”

“Aw, why?” Phichit asked, wrapping him in a hug. “They’re really good and sweet. Wait until you have them with katsudon.”

“What’s kat… what’s that?” Yurio asked.

“Katsudon is Yuuri-kun’s favorite food in the entire world!” Phichit explained. “It’s juicy pork cutlets on a bed of eggs, onions, and rice. Mama Katsuki makes the best katsudon.”

“Really? I wanna try!” Viktor exclaimed. He was done with the chicken as was putting them in a bowl. “No, I have a better idea. What if we make it someday?” Viktor was happy with the information he was getting from Phichit.  

“I can ask my mother for help,” Yuuri said, smiling. “But that requires a lot.”

“We can plan,” Viktor said. “It doesn’t have to be tomorrow. We’re going to Chris’ tomorrow at Rapsodie. Both of you are welcome to join us.”

“Sweet Rapsodie? You’re talking about Chris Giacometti?” Phichit asked. Viktor and Yurio nodded.

“You know him?” Viktor asked. “I go to school with him.”

“He’s there when Yuuri and I used to drop by after school and weekends. Oh boy, Yuuri would die for one those [**rum raisin cinnamon rolls**](https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/rum-raisin-cinnamon-rolls/511ef038-6f46-4da0-a0a1-2379419888ce)!” Phichit said, Viktor filed away yet another tidbit about the Japanese boy.

“But I’ve since kept him away from those. Yuuri’s face tends to become rounder the more he has them -”

“ _Phichit-kun_!” Yuuri cried out, mortified. “So what if I gain weight easily? I work just as hard to keep them off.”

“I think it’s cute,” Viktor said, nonchalantly. “You look very young and adorable.” Phichit tried to hide his laughter behind Yurio’s hair, expertly taking a photo of his embarrassed friend. Yuuri wanted to shove his head into the freezer, cheeks burning.

While Viktor’s face looked calm and collected, his heart was beating so fast, it felt like it’s coming out of his chest.

 

****************************

 

“Yurio-chan, you’re up!” Phichit said, lifting the boy from his lap and bringing him to the counter. “Yuuri-kun told me you’re good with cheese. Is that right?” The little boy nodded. “Super!”

“Yurio helps out around the house a lot,” Viktor said, taking the opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder with Yuuri. “I think by now, he knows more about cooking than I do.” Phichit guided his little hand as they grated the cheese together. “Good job, _kotyonok_.”

“Uhm, I’ve been meaning to ask… if you don’t mind,” Yuuri started, “You call Yurio that all the time. What does it mean?”

“It means kitten in Russian,” Viktor explained. “It’s no secret that he loves cats but he’s been called that since before he knew what cats were. Our mother likes to give us nicknames.”

“And what is yours?” Yuuri asked, interested.

“ _Myshka_ ,” Viktor said, fondness in his blue eyes. “But she doesn’t call me that anymore. My mother had me when she was very young and for the longest time, it was just the two of us.” He paused, sensing the mood becoming heavier.

“That’s okay, Viktor. You don’t have to tell,” Yuuri comforted him. “But what does that mean?”

“Mouse,” Yurio answered with a little snicker.

And then they were ready to assemble their quesadillas. Yurio had no idea what they were but as long as there was chicken and cheese, he was willing to try it.

“Here, Yurio,” Yuuri said, handing a basting brush to him. “You can put butter on the tortilla. It’s just like painting in school.” Yuuri placed the small cup of melted butter by the child’s elbow. “Nice and easy. Viktor, you can place the chicken and vegetables once the tortilla is on the pan.” Phichit was in the dining area setting up a table for the four of them, leaving the trio in the kitchen.

Yuuri took care of flipping the quesadillas, making sure they were cooked all the way. Viktor then cut them into four pieces until they ran out of fillings. “ _Dekita_!” Yuuri cheered. Carefully, he brought it to the center of the table that Phichit prepared.

“ _Itadakimasu!_ ” they all said.

“Wow Yuuri, this looks good,” Phichit said.

“Of course! Yurio helped,” the Japanese boy said, smiling at Yurio.

Yurio took a hesitant bite, hoping he wouldn’t get any onions. The saltiness of the cheese, the tenderness of the chicken, and the slight bitterness of the peppers exploded on his tongue. “It’s good,” he said after swallowing his first bite. All the older boys gave a sigh of relief before digging in.

“I’m sending a photo to Leo,” Phichit said, taking several pictures. “I’m sure he’ll love to know that it’s a success.”

“More friends?” Yurio asked.

“Leo is from our school,” Yuuri explained. “He recommended the recipe to us.”

“You know what that means, right?” Viktor said to his brother. “Next time, it’s our turn to look for a friend who cooks.”

“You have only one friend, Viktor,” Yurio said. “Chris.”

“And Phichit,” the Thai boy said. “And Yuuri!” The said boy promptly blushed. “And we’re your friends too, Yurio-chan!” That earned him a huge smile from the little boy.

Their dinner was filled with laughter and good conversation. Phichit had Yurio opening up a bit more. Towards the end, Yurio pushed half a wedge of quesadilla to Viktor. “I’m full. You eat it,” he said to his older brother.

“Well, we can’t have good food go to waste,” Viktor said, picking it up from Yurio’s plate and placing it in his mouth. His eyes bugged out, mouth instantly watering. “Yurio!!! What the hell?!”

The little boy laughed out loud. Throughout their meal, he managed to fish out all the onions and stuff them inside an extra tortilla.

Both Yuuri and Phichit joined Yurio, laughing so much that they almost fell from their chair. Phichit managed to get most of it on video.

“You’re so mean, Yurio,” Viktor said as he recovered. He good-naturedly rubbed Yurio’s hair, “But I do love you, _kotyonok_.”

* * *

 

Otabek is such a fascinating character. (And he's voiced by my favorite seiyuu, Yoshimasa Hosoya.) 

 


	4. Coffee - er… Hot Chocolate Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor and Yuuri spend time together over hot chocolate - without Yurio.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for being MIA. I had to deal with some health problems and work simply got too much in the way. But I can't leave you guys hanging. I did plan to have sort of an intermission chapter exploring the characters later in the story. But spending time sick in bed, I managed to down a lot of hot liquids... especially hot chocolate and I got inspired to do this chapter.
> 
> So I hope you like this chapter. Again, all mistakes are mine whether they be grammatical or problems with authenticity. It's my story and it's fiction. Sorry if it bothers you but still, thank you for reading. 
> 
> Also, can you spot another anime reference that I snuck in there? ;-)

[[ **HOMEMADE HOT CHOCOLATE**](http://www.momables.com/how-to-make-homemade-hot-cocoa/)]

 

Ingredients:

  * ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  * ½ cup granulated sugar
  * ⅓ cup hot water
  * ⅛ tsp salt
  * 4 cups milk (Dairy or non-dairy - soy or almond works well too)
  * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  * Mini marshmallows (optional)



Instructions:

  1. Combine the cocoa, sugar, water, and salt in a medium saucepan.
  2. Over medium heat, stir constantly until the mixture boils. Cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
  3. Stir in the milk and heat, but do not boil.
  4. Remove from the heat and add vanilla; stir well. Serve immediately.



 

Serves 5.

 

****************************

 

Viktor had the day off of school. After dropping off Yurio, he decided to take up the Katsukis on their offer to try the onsen. They decided to make and eat dinner at their respective homes that night but Viktor still wanted to spend time with Yuuri. The Japanese boy also had a free day but had to help out with something at his own school but promised to go straight home after it was done.

The Russian sank neck-deep into the warm water, relaxing his muscles. His hair was a silver halo around him; he closed his eyes and pretended to be a merman for a bit. “Yuuri is so lucky,” he thought, “to soak in a glorious hot spring like this any time he likes…” He sighed, sitting on one of the ledges.

The two had continued to get to know each other better, whether in person or over the phone when they couldn’t find the time to meet. Yuuri was still a very shy boy but they found common interests such as ice skating, ballet, and classical music. And food. Viktor started experimenting on his own - the percentage of fails was still slightly higher than successes - even putting Yuuri on Skype to keep him company. They also started meeting up without Yurio.

Viktor blushed, not from the heat but from the memory of their previous meeting. He would go as far as calling it a “date” but it would freak Yuuri out. Viktor invited Yuuri to meet him at Sweet Rapsodie to introduce him to Chris. While the two started off awkwardly, Chris could be a bit too much with his innuendos, Yuuri managed to walk away with a free bag of rum raisin cinnamon rolls and the coveted recipe. But not after spending a good two hours nursing tea and sweet cakes at the shop’s patio seating. They talked, laughed, took selfies, and even held hands. Yuuri was positively pink and glowing the whole time and Viktor was smitten.

He felt a stir in his body. “No, Nikiforov. Banish inappropriate thoughts,” he said in Russian and splashing his face with water. He felt ashamed to be thinking of _those_ kinds of thoughts while in the home of the object of his affection.

When he had considerably calmed down, he dressed in the green robes the onsen provided further relaxing at the TV room/dining area. Yuuri’s father, Toshiya, wasn’t very comfortable with conversing in English but still provided him with snacks of Japanese cracker nuts and silent company.

“You and Yuuri-chan… good friends?” Toshiya asked after a while. He had an earnest smile on his face.

“Yes, he is a good friend,” Viktor replied. “Thank you for raising such a kind young man.” He wasn’t sure if Toshiya understood it but the older man nodded anyway.

“He is coming home soon,” Toshiya said, standing up, placing a hand on Viktor’s shoulder warmly. “I open kitchen later for you.”

“ _Arigatou gozaimasu, Katsuki-san_ ,” Viktor said, tipping his head in a slight bow.

Viktor watched a bit more high school boy’s volleyball on the TV - the player with the #10 jersey was keeping the match interesting - until he heard the onsen’s sliding door open and a soft “ _Tadaima_ ” was called out. Yuuri appeared shortly, his school uniform rumpled and hair mussed as if he ran all the way home.

“Viktor, hello,” he panted.

“Are you okay, Yuuri?” Viktor asked, pouring a cup of water from the carafe on the table and offering it to the boy. “You look winded.”

“I wanted to get here as fast as I could,” Yuuri admitted. “I didn’t want to keep you waiting.”

Viktor smiled at him. “I didn’t mind waiting at all.”

“Did you enjoy the onsen at least?” Yuuri asked, fiddling with the straps of his bag.

Viktor’s face lit up. “Yuuri, it was amazing! I want to stay here forever,” he gave the Japanese boy that heart-shaped smile. “I can’t wait to take Yurio with me.”

“I’m glad,” the Japanese boy said shyly. “Well, since you said you don’t mind waiting… could you wait a bit more? I just have to change out of my uniform. It won’t be long.”

“That’s fine,” Viktor replied. “I should change back to my own clothes anyway. Meet you back here?” Yuuri nodded.

They found themselves in Mari’s kitchen after a few minutes. Toshiya entrusted the key to Viktor and gave the Russian another pat on the shoulder. Viktor didn’t have to pick up Yurio until later.

“Do you want anything to drink?” Yuuri asked, checking the stocks.

“I was thinking we could make something,” Viktor said cheekily. He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. “I would just buy the powdered version, if you have it then that’s perfectly fine, but I found out that some people make their own hot chocolate.” He smoothed it out on the counter. “We can at least try.”

Yuuri looked over the scribbled recipe. He did have powdered hot chocolate on hand but where was the fun in that? “Hmm, I think we can do this. I know we even have marshmallows around here somewhere,” Yuuri said, turning towards the pantry. “Can you get me the measuring cups, Viktor?” Yuuri asked as he started pulling out the ingredients.

Viktor perked up, almost bowling over the bar stool in his haste to start his chore. He was comfortable enough in Mari’s kitchen to know where most of the things were kept. He placed them neatly in a line on the counter waiting for Yuuri to give him further instructions. “How much hot water do we need?” Viktor asked, itching to be helpful.

“Not much,” Yuuri replied, checking the recipe for measurements. “It’s more the milk than the water, actually. I’ll get all these done and you work the stove. How about that?” Viktor nodded enthusiastically.

The paid worked quickly in relative silence, only broken by Viktor asking Yuuri how his day went and vice-versa. The Russian couldn’t stop singing his praises for the onsen. He wanted to make plans to spend that following Saturday there with Yurio. “Is it okay to bring his rubber duck with him?” Viktor asked.

Yuuri paused. He had heard of a public bathhouse that filled their pools with rubber ducks. “I’m not sure,” Yuuri said, tapping out all the cocoa from the measuring cup. “I have to ask my mother but bring it just in case. We do have, uh... normal bathtubs too if the springs get too hot for Yurio.”

“Will you join us, Yuuri?” Viktor asked. “If you need to help out with the business, I would understand.”

“We’re not as busy as years before and Phichit is going to help us out too. I could take an hour or two off,” Yuuri said, his cheeks pink. “I can join you for lunch, at the very least.” He hesitated a bit before continuing, “You can bring Chris if you want. Since Phichit is here also…”

“Maybe some other time,” Viktor pushed that idea away in an instant. “You’ve met him, right? I don’t want to scandalize your family and customers. No, he’s for another occasion all together!” They both laughed.

“I can make arrangements for this Saturday. Do you plan to spend the night or just use the springs?” Yuuri inquired.

“We can do that, Yuuri?” Viktor’s face lit up with that heart-shaped smile.

“Yes, yes,” Yuuri said, the blush never leaving his cheeks. “We have a small banquet room that we don’t use anymore. I can ask my father to convert that to a bedroom for the two of you. It’s the one near my room, if you remember.”

Viktor’s heart raced at the possibility of sleeping under the same roof as Yuuri. “If it’s not too much trouble,” it was his turn to blush, “I can pay extra…”

“Oh hush, Viktor,” Yuuri chuckled. “My parents already love you. And they love Yurio even more than they love me, I think.” Viktor laughed. “Don’t worry about it. I will text you the details once I’ve talked it over with them. And besides, it’s your turn to work.” The Japanese man ushered Viktor in front of the stove, placing the recipe on the counter in front of him. “Come on, boiling liquids shouldn’t be too difficult, right?”

Viktor concentrated on his task, following the recipe to a T. He knew he could easily burn the sugar and chocolate if he wasn’t careful.

“What time do you have to pick up Yurio?” Yuuri asked.

The Russian checked his watch. “Not for a couple of hours more,” he replied. “He’s probably in the middle of nap time right now. You know, I finally met that Otabek boy. His family is from Kazakhstan but they’ve been moving around a lot since he was born.” Yuuri nodded, interested. “He’s an old soul. He called me _Mr. Nikiforov_ when Yurio introduced us. Yurio’s classmates usually call me ‘Yurio’s-brother-san” or something informally formal like that. Otabek seemed nice… at least he was very nice to Yurio. My brother seems to really like him.”

“That’s good - lower the heat a little, Viktor,” Yuuri replied, at the same time keeping an eye on the almost boiling milk. “That’s good that Yurio is finding friends closer to his age. Being around older people can be a bit confusing for him.”

“But he likes us!” Viktor said happily. “To tell you the truth, Yurio and I are closer than ever after we started coming here to cook. There’s such a huge age gap between us. When I was younger, I didn’t get along well with Yurio’s dad, my stepfather at first. I saw him as taking my Mama away from me after so many years of being just the two of us.” Yuuri was ready to stop Viktor before he got too emotional but judging by the twinkle in his blue eyes, they were good memories. “But he not only treated me as a son, he also respected that I was the man of the house for the longest time. We got along really well after that. Then Yurio came along. I didn’t know how to deal with a _baby_ brother. I was 15! I thought I would hate him but the first time I saw him, I had the violent urge to protect him from the world.”

Yuuri was smiling. He felt warm and fuzzy inside. “I don’t think you have a hateful bone in your body, Viktor,” he said, with all the emotion in his heart. “And I think it’s impossible not to love Yurio. He’s such a great boy.”

“You’re so sweet, Yuuri,” Viktor grinned. “Just like this hot chocolate over here.”

Yuuri groaned. “You’re awful, Nikiforov.” He moved to swat at the Russian weakly. “The mugs are in the cupboard behind you. Do you want marshmallows?”

“To eat, yes. With my drink, no,” Viktor explained, giving the mugs a quick rinse. “But I’ll take cinnamon, if you have it.” Yuuri nodded and reached into another drawer for the requested spice.

“We can put the extra hot chocolate in this thermos so you can take it home to Yurio,” Yuuri said, placing a stainless steel insulated bottle alongside their mugs. “Just put it in a ceramic mug then heat it in the microwave. You have one at your house, right?”

“I planned that to be my main tool for feeding my brother before you came along,” Viktor chuckled, carefully ladling their creation into the mugs. “I had to shove Mama through the door because she was too worried that we will end up starved to death while she was away. She knew I couldn’t cook and microwaved dinners aren’t the healthiest.”

“You should surprise her with a welcome home dinner then,” Yuuri suggested, wrapping his hands around the mug. He dropped a few pieces of marshmallows in the warm liquid, watching them melt slowly. “When is she coming back?” he asked, suddenly feeling a little bit down.

“I think the week after the next,” Viktor answered, counting the days in his head. “Yurio’s grandfather got sick so she volunteered to go back to Moscow and care for him. My stepfather will follow her there after his business trip then they’ll come back together. But Nikolai is a tough man. I was terrified of him when I first met him but he makes the best pirozhki! Maybe this time he’ll teach it to me.”

Yuuri had heard of pirozhki but never tried it. But that wasn’t in his mind at that moment. Would these cooking meet-ups stop once Viktor and Yurio’s parents come back? Would they continue seeing each other? Yuuri was only starting to gain confidence in the kitchen and with making new friends. He wasn’t ready for it to cease.

“They’re going to love you, Yuuri,” Viktor said, interrupting his darkening thoughts. The Russian slipped a hand inside one of Yuuri’s and squeezed. “Most of all, they will appreciate what you’ve done for Yurio.” He looked at Yuuri as if saying, “I know what you’re thinking.” Swirling the cinnamon in his own drink with a teaspoon, Viktor continued, “Who knows, your _okasan_ and my Mama might end up exchanging recipes!”

“Or baby pictures, goodness!” Yuuri muttered under his breath but Viktor caught it.

“I believe I don’t have very many but I will not say no to Yuuri Katsuki baby pictures,” Viktor said, hiding his grin behind his mug. “Oh my, Yuuri, this is amazing!”

“Don’t change the subject, Viktor!” Yuuri said but laughed along with him. He took his own sip and agreed with the Russian’s earlier comment. “I’m glad we did this. I know it can be as simple as buying a premade mix at the _konbini_ but…” he didn’t know where he was going with that. All he knew was that he liked spending time with Viktor.

“Me too, Yuuri,” Viktor nodded, “Me too.”

 

****************************

 

When Viktor arrived at Yurio’s school to pick him up, Otabek was standing beside the smaller Russian, staring straight ahead like a soldier. Viktor couldn’t tell if it were just normal behavior for him or if there was something wrong. But with one look at Yurio, he knew it was the latter.

“Are you okay, Otabek?” Viktor asked in Russian, adding an extra layer of comfort to the child. He knelt down to their level and pulled Yurio into a hug. Otabek just blinked. “What’s wrong?”

“His babysitter didn’t show up,” Yurio replied for his friend. “His mama and papa can’t pick him up because they work until late.” Otabek bit his lip, his eyes bulging a bit in his attempt to hold back tears. “JJ and Kenjirou already left so it’s just me and Otabek. When I leave, he’ll be alone.”

Viktor looked around for a teacher or a nurse. Luckily, Kanako- _sensei_ was already there behind the children. The young teacher had a sympathetic look on her face. “We already called his parents and neither of them could get off work,” she explained. “I can stay with him until they come by but they said it won’t be until after dinner.”

“Viktor, can we take _Beka_ with us?” Yurio asked, pulling at his brother’s pant leg. “ _Sensei_ can talk to his mama and…”

“ _Nyet, Yura_ ,” Otabek said, turning to the adults and his young friend. “I’ll be fine. I’m used to this. My _sheshe_ and _yeka_ love me but I understand they need to work hard.”

Viktor’s heart broke for the child. He knew the feeling. When he was younger, his Mama left him with babysitters and neighbors as she went to school and found jobs. He had to grow up really fast and it wasn’t the most fun thing for a young boy. At that moment, he knew what to do.

“ _Sensei_ , I would like to ask permission from you and Otabek’s parents,” Viktor started. When Otabek started to protest, Viktor turned to him, “It’s okay, Otabek. I can take care of you and Yurio, at least for a night. And we’re cooking one of Yurio’s new favorite foods. You can help out if you want. Do you like soup? I can make fried eggs pretty decently now. It’s going to be fun!”

“You can watch the bread so it won’t burn,” Yurio said. “Viktor forgets so I usually do it for him but you can do it tonight if you want.” Otabek gave the Russians a small smile, nodding, wiping a stray tear from the corner of his eye.

The teacher was already on the phone with Otabek’s mother. Then she passed her phone to Viktor. Mrs. Altin sounded like she was in tears as Viktor conversed with her in Russian, thanking him for his generous offer to take her son in for a while. Viktor added that the offer was always open and then he was sure that Mrs. Altin was in tears. Viktor understood all of that. He saw his Mama go through it. He was more than happy to lend a helping hand.

Once the arrangement was done, addresses were exchanged, they said goodbye to Kanako- _sensei_ and walked off to the Plisetsky home. They stopped at a _konbini_ and Viktor bought the boys a box of Pocky each after they promised to eat it after dinner. Viktor had Yurio lead the way, chattering with Otabek the whole time in what seemed like a one-sided yet animated conversation.

As promised, Otabek made sure the bread didn’t burn. By now, Viktor was an expert at making Yurio’s favorite soup. Otabek even asked for seconds. Yurio was upset for a short minute when Viktor told him and he made hot chocolate with Yuuri earlier that day but mellowed down after he tasted said hot chocolate.

“Another Yuri?” Otabek asked, nursing his own cup. Viktor had a Studio Ghibli playing on the TV; something about a cat figurine brought to life.

“With two U’s,” Yurio explained. Yurio would watch anything with cats in them. “I like him. But I think Viktor likes him even more.”

Viktor almost dropped the plate that he was washing. Then he smiled. “I guess I’m not hiding it as well as I thought,” he said to himself, a warm feeling filling him inside.

* * *

 

Recipe notes: I've tried Alton Brown's recipe from  _Good Eats_ (still one of my favorite shows ever) but I went with the recipe linked above. But Swiss Miss hot chocolate is the bomb! And the one from Coffee Bean  & Tea Leaf. However, I'm still very much a coffee person. ;-)

What is your favorite hot drink?


	5. Katsudon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mama Hiroko teaches the brothers how to make Katsudon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello? Is this thing on? Hi!!!
> 
> It's been almost a year since I began this fic. It's almost that long since I last updated. How's that for a writer's block? I fully intended this to be the long-awaited pirozhki chapter but then I realized how complicated it's going to be and gave up right then and there. Until I had myself an excellent bowl of katsudon; I got so inspired to pick this fic back up again.
> 
> So if you're still reading this fic, thank you. If you're new, welcome. Feel free to try out the recipes. I've tried most of them and I'm so happy to get comments that you've tried them out too. I'll try to update more. And I swear, we'll get to pirozhki in the future. 
> 
> Thanks!

[[ **KATSUDON**](https://www.thespruceeats.com/katsudon-2031259)]

Ingredients:

  * 4 cups Japanese steamed rice
  * 2 center-cut, boneless pork chops, pounded down to a centimeter thick
  * salt and pepper
  * flour, for dusting
  * 1 cup panko
  * oil, for frying
  * 1 onion, thinly sliced
  * 1 1/4 cup dashi soup stock
  * 1/3 cup soy sauce
  * 2 tbsp. mirin
  * 1 tbsp. sugar



Instructions:

  * Season the pounded pork chops with salt and pepper, and dust with a light, even coating of flour. In one shallow bowl, beat 1 egg. Put the panko into another shallow bowl.
  * Add thin, even layer of oil to a cast iron pan or skillet over medium heat. The oil is ready when you throw a panko breadcrumb into the oil and it sizzles. Dip the pork into the egg to coat.
  * Transfer the pork to the panko and press it evenly into the meat to get a good coating.
  * Carefully lay the pork chops in the hot oil and cook for 5 to 6 minutes on one side, until golden brown. Flip and cook the other side for another 5 to 6 minutes.
  * Drain on a plate lined with a paper towel.
  * Slice your tonkatsu into pieces.
  * Put the dashi soup stock in a pan and cook on medium heat.
  * Add soy sauce, mirin, and sugar to the soup and bring to a boil. Stop the heat.
  * To cook 1 serving of katsudon, put one-quarter of the soup in a small skillet.
  * Add one-quarter of onion slices in the soup and simmer for a few minutes on medium heat.
  * Add 1 serving of tonkatsu pieces to the pan and simmer on low heat for a few minutes.
  * Beat an egg in a bowl.
  * Bring the soup to a boil over medium heat, then pour the egg over tonkatsu and onion.
  * Turn the heat down to low and put on a lid.
  * Turn off the heat.
  * Serve 1 serving of steamed rice in a large rice bowl, then place the simmered tonkatsu on top of the rice. Repeat the process.



  
Serves 4.

  
****************************

“MAMA!” Yurio cried out, pushing Viktor’s head away from the computer. Irina Plisetsky’s smiling face filled the screen. She had green eyes like Yurio and a heart-shaped smile similar to her firstborn, Viktor. “I miss you!”

“ _Kotyonok_! My love,” Irina said, waving at Yurio. “I saw the pictures Viktor sent. Did you have a good time? You looked so adorable in your little robe.”

Viktor and Yurio spent the entire weekend at Yu-topia Katsuki. The Katsukis were more than happy to accommodate the pair. As promised, Yuuri and Phichit were helping out but Hiroko ended up giving both boys Sunday off to enjoy with their friends.

“ _Da_! It was very nice, Mama,” the five-year-old said. “Yuuri and Phichit were really fun.”

“How about me?” Viktor asked, putting his face into the frame. “I miss you, my beautiful mother!” He made kissy faces to the camera. “Did you see? Yurio made new friends.”

“That’s good, Yurochka,” Irina said. Viktor shared so many pictures to her: of Yurio in a child-sized jinbei; Viktor, Yuuri, and Phichit making onigiri (the photo was proudly taken by Yurio); Yurio dozing off on the tatami mats of their room; Viktor and Yuuri at the beach at sunset (Phichit especially liked that one), and many more.

“I couldn’t take pictures at the springs itself though,” Viktor said. “But Mama, they have the best food! They have this rice bowl called katsudon and it’s heavenly!” Yurio nodded in agreement.

The little family exchanged stories. Yurio was reliving their whole weekend to their mom with Viktor showing her more pictures. Viktor told her all about Yuuri and Phichit while Yurio talked a little bit about Otabek. Irina asked her sons about their culinary projects. She felt so proud when Viktor sent that first picture of them recreating the now-favorite chicken soup. Every time he made something successful, Viktor sent her multiple pictures and a detailed explanation of taste and flavor.

“I can’t wait to cook with you, Mama,” Viktor said sincerely. “Yuuri has been helping us a lot.”

Irina smiled but her eyes looked a bit sad. “Looks like I may have to extend my stay here, boys,” she explained.

“Why, Mama?” Yurio was trying to stand on Viktor’s lap.

“Is Nikolai okay?” Viktor asked, concerned. “Is Alexei with you already?”

“Alexei will be here later this week. He says he misses you boys too,” she explained. “Dedushka is doing better but is still very weak. We’re trying to find a nurse to tend to him but he doesn’t want one. Aw _kotyonok_ , don’t cry.” Yurio buried his face against Viktor’s hair. “Dedushka is fine. He just needs someone to be with him until we come to an arrangement.”

Viktor hugged his brother tighter. “But he’s mostly okay, right?” Like Yurio, he needed to hear the words that their grandfather was okay.

“He can walk by himself,” Irina said. “And he insists to drive to the market everyday. I would have you boys talk to him but he’s resting right now.” Yurio peeked out of the silver curtain of hair. “He loves seeing your photos, you know.”

“I miss pirozhki,” Yurio mumbled. That meant he missed his dedushka so much. “They don’t have it here.” He clenched his fist tighter against Viktor’s shirt.

“I can bring some home but it’s going to be a while,” Irina said, apologetically.

Viktor squeezed him a bit. Then he got the idea. “I know! What if we make it ourselves?” Yurio gave him the evil eye. “What? We’re not total beginners anymore and besides, we have friends who can help us. Yurio, don’t you have that special day at school where you bring food and items from your heritage?”

Yurio nodded. “JJ’s mom made us gravy and french fries last week,” he said. Poutine.

“We can make pirozhki!” Viktor exclaimed. “Mama, can I have the recipe? I can’t guarantee we’ll make it right the first time but we’ll practice.”

Irina watched her boys with love in her eyes. She’d never seen them so close. Viktor seemed so passionate and Yurio looked happier. She decided that she really had to meet this Yuuri Katsuki and personally thank him.

“I will e-mail you the recipe, Viktor,” Irina said. Both boys brightened up. “I will translate it to English so your friends can help you out.”

“Chris can help with the dough,” Viktor said, already making plans. “We can get ingredients from Phichit’s store. Yuuri, Yurio, and I can do the rest. Mama, I’m so excited!”

“Make sure you keep me updated, okay?” Irina said. “I miss you. I love you.” The boys repeated the sentiments before they logged off Skype.

Viktor wanted to tell Yuuri of his plan as soon as he received his grandfather’s precious pirozhki recipe. Snagging his phone from where it was charging, he scrolled down to Yuuri’s name. After three tries, no one was answering. He called Phichit instead.

“Phichit, my friend,” Viktor said. Yurio was trying stand up on his brother’s knees so that he could be a part of the conversation. “Have you heard from Yuuri? He wasn’t picking up his phone.”

“Ah, about that,” Phichit said sounding apologetic, “I got a text from him saying that he’s sick. Knowing him, he’s probably sleeping it off.”

“Yuuri’s sick?” Viktor exclaimed, ratting Yurio off his perch. “Oh my goodness, he looked okay last time we saw him.”

Yurio clambered back up, trying to snatch the phone away from his brother, “I want to see Yuuri!” he demanded.

Phichit chuckled. “I can hear the little kitten. Can you put me on speaker, Viktor?” He did and the Thai boy continued, “Yurio, honey,” the little kid blew a raspberry at that, “Yuuri isn’t feeling well and he needs his rest.”

“But… but,” the child started.

“I know you want to see him but he wouldn’t want you getting sick also, right” Phichit said, addressed to both brothers. “And besides…” shuffling was heard from the other end, “Hold on, guys.” Then there was a conversation in a language they couldn’t understand. “Okay, back,” Phichit switched back to English. “I have to go. My mom just got an order from Mama Hiroko. I’m playing delivery boy today.”

“No fair!” Yurio cried out. “You get to see Yuuri and I can’t.”

“Oh, if you can only see the gloriously adorable pout, my friend,” Viktor teased, earning a punch on his arm.

Phichit could not contain his laughter. “Okay, okay… tell you what. How about we meet up somewhere and go visit Yuuri together? By the size of this order, it’s for the household and not the onsen. Maybe little Yurio can help me carry one whole head of cabbage.”

That sounded amazing to the little kid. So much that he started dragging his big brother to his room to help him change. “I guess we’ll be seeing you, Phichit!”

****************************

Yurio insisted they buy a big bag of cinnamon rolls from Sweet Rapsodie to bring to Yuuri. Chris snuck in a box of cookies when the little Russian said that Yuuri was ill. As promised, Phichit had a huge head of cabbage waiting for Yurio when they met up en route to the onsen.

“Don’t drop it, _kotyonok_ , or else it’ll roll away,” Viktor warned, trying not to overdose on cinnamon vapors. “Are you sure it’s okay for us to tag along, Phichit?”

“Yeah, I told Mama Hiroko that you want to see Yuuri too,” Phichit said, balancing two paper bags in his arms. Viktor had the pastries and a plastic bag of more produce. “She was more than happy to have you over.”

The walk over to the onsen was uneventful. Twice Phichit attempted to snatch the cinnamon rolls away from Viktor but Yurio thwarted his plans saying, “They are for Yuuri! Get your own!” Viktor almost dropped everything, laughing at Phichit cowering to a small child.

When they got to the onsen, Yuuri’s mom was waiting for them. Yurio shoved the cabbage into Viktor’s arms and ran towards the older lady, wrapping his arms around her waist. She then gave all three of them huge hugs.

“Everything okay?” she inquired. “Yuu-kun is sleeping so we must be quiet.” She ruffled Yurio’s hair and led them to the restaurant area.

“We brought pastries,” Viktor said, putting the fragrant bag on the counter. “Please feel free to share it with everyone.”

“Or hide it from Yuuri,” Phichit said under his breath, “He’ll eat it all.” Hiroko chuckled.

“I will make katsudon,” Hiroko said as she started to unwrap the stuff Phichit brought. “It will make him happy.”

“I’ll help!” Yurio volunteered, boosting himself up on a bar stool. “I’ll be good.”

“Thank you, Yurio-chan,” Hiroko said, patting his cheek.

Not to be outdone, Viktor raised his hand and offered his assistance as well. Phichit was content with taking pictures but of course, he got roped in to helping too. The promise of anmitsu for dessert was too good to pass up.

Viktor had Yurio cleaned up and ready while Phichit helped Hiroko with the pork. They conversed mostly in Japanese but Viktor kept an ear open, not wanting to miss any instructions or any tidbit about Yuuri.

“This is usually made with leftovers or pre-cooked tonkatsu but since we don’t have it, I’ll make them,” Phichit said. He did the same thing with the chicken quesadilla. Hiroko placed a bowl of flour, beaten eggs and panko in front of Yurio, tapping Phichit’s shoulder as she made her way to the rice cooker. “Great idea, obasan! Yurio’s hands are all clean so we can play with our food!”

The little Russian boy looked confused. Viktor was tasked with slicing the onions so he was far away from his brother. Phichit made his way around the counter and sat beside Yurio. He then placed the slabs of pork in front of the kid.

“Watch closely, Yurio,” Viktor said from his station. “So you can tell me how to do it later.”

The boy nodded and put all his attention on Phichit. “Firstly, I’ll pat salt and pepper on the meat and sprinkle a bit of flour. Then you get to do the fun parts.” Hiroko fired up a pan for frying. “Now, my little helper… the pork needs to go swimming in egg!” Yurio used two hands to handle the piece of meat and dipped it into the egg. “Good job. Yes, make sure you get the other side.”

“Like this?” he said, eyebrows knit together in concentration. They could hear sniffing from Viktor and they weren’t sure if it was entirely because of the onions. Hiroko was cooing and applauding.

“Yes, get your hands in there,” Phichit encouraged. “Make sure everything is covered. Then you plop it down into these breadcrumbs right here.” He then pressed a good amount of panko on the pork. “Then obasan will fry them real good for us.”

“Hai, good job, Yurio-chan!” Hiroko said, expertly handling the big piece of meat with cooking chopsticks.

“Again!” Yurio said, almost slapping Phichit’s face with an egg-covered hand.

By the time they got the the 3rd piece, Viktor joined them at the counter. He was promptly taking video of their assembly line. “Good job, Yurio! I can’t wait to show this to Mama,” Viktor cheered earning him a huge smile from his brother.

When they were done, Hiroko took over the cooking. Phichit volunteered to watch the rice while the brothers sat close to where Hiroko was working her magic. Viktor and Yurio shared multiple bowls of katsudon over the weekend that they spent at the onsen. Yurio wanted his own but he couldn’t finish it so they decided to share instead. He also took bites from Yuuri’s bowl.

Yurio made sizzling noises every time another piece of pork hit the hot oil and Hiroko chuckled. With Phichit translating most of it, she said, “You remind me of my little Yuuri. He liked to watch me cook. He loved helping out his sister too.”

“Now, he likes eating more!” Phichit added with a teasing tone.

“My baby likes food, yes. He likes his friends a lot.” Hiroko said that with a fond smile for the three boys. Yurio and Viktor were sporting similar pink spots on their cheeks. Phichit made sure to get a picture of that to show Yuuri later.

Hiroko served out four large bowls. In exchange for sharing with Viktor, Yurio was promised his very own serving of anmitsu with green tea ice cream. Hiroko prepared a tray to bring to Yuuri’s room.

“ _Kotyonok_ , you might drop it,” Viktor said, trying to pry little hands away from the tray. “Let me. And you can help me open the door to Yuuri’s room.” The boy relented and they all made their way to Yuuri’s room.

Hiroko bid them all goodbye, taking one bowl for her husband. “Let me know when you like your anmitsu, okay?” she said to Yurio, patting him softly on the head. “Thank you for your help.”

“Let’s go see Yuuri, shall we?” Phichit said, holding Yurio’s hand. “We should be very quiet though.” The brothers nodded. Phichit knocked gently and helped Yurio slide the door open.

There was no need for them to be quiet because they found Yuuri sitting up on the bed, his comforter wrapped around him like a cocoon. But before Yurio could jump on the bed to greet him, Yuuri started hacking out a lung. Yurio hid behind his brother’s leg.

“Poor Yuuri,” Phichit said, flicking on the light. Yuuri buried himself deeper into the fluffy cocoon, groaning like the undead. “We come bringing katsudon! Wait, can you even eat?”

“Wwwaaaterrr,” Yuuri wheezed and Phichit was on it. Viktor put the tray of food on Yuuri’s desk. Yurio was still frozen on the spot.

“Yuuri?” Yurio squeaked, tears filling up his eyes.

That was the time when Yuuri noticed that Viktor and Yurio where there. He immediately felt around for his face mask and glasses. He blinked rapidly to stop the watering of his eyes. “Hi guys,” he said, his voice muffled and scratchy.

Yurio hugged Viktor’s leg, soaking the denim with tears. “Oh… there, there, _kotyonok_?” Viktor asked, picking his brother up and patting his back. “You’re sad because Yuuri’s sick?” Yurio nodded, trying not to sob. “I’m sorry,” he mouthed to Yuuri and Phichit and stepped out of the room.

“Viktor, wait…” Yuuri tried to say but no sound came out.

“I’ll go check on them,” Phichit said. “Here’s your katsudon. Yurio and Viktor helped make it. Chew properly so you won’t choke.” Yuuri made a “yes, mom” face before shooing his friend away.

“I know, I know. You’re welcome,” Phichit chuckled. He found the brothers curled up against each other at one of the dining tables of the common area, a bowl of steaming katsudon in front of them. Phichit’s was on the opposite side. “Is he okay?” he asked Viktor.

“Mama Hiroko made us some miso soup, by the way,” Viktor said. Yurio still looked teary-eyed but had calmed down a bit. “Phichit wants to know if you’re okay, Yurio.” The child nodded slowly, chewing his lower lip.

“Don’t worry,” Phichit reassured them both. “Yuuri’s going to be okay. Katsudon is kind of like his cure-all. How about we do the same so we’ll all feel better too?”

With another nod, Yurio reached for his kiddy chopsticks. “What do we say?” Viktor prompted.

“ _Itadakimasu_ ,” Yurio said softly. The older boys followed and dug in to their food.

* * *

 

I miss writing about kid!Otabek. :)

 

Recipe notes: I know how to make a couple of Japanese dishes but I've never attempted katsudon before. I do like buying them. One good anime episode about katsudon is from  _Restaurant to Another World_ (I'm obsessed). I can make a mean miso soup and omurice though. 


	6. Gyoza Party!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Minami's birthday!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No really, it is Minami's birthday. August 18. And he shares it with G-Dragon. (VIPs represent!) I know this chapter can use a lot of work but I want to publish it on dear Minami's birthday. 
> 
> Before anything else, I want to say THANK YOU for sticking around... coming back... discovering my little food fic. I wasn't sure where this was heading but after binge watching several food anime, I think I'm back on track. I still can't promise regular updates but I won't take a year to do so at least.
> 
> So, actual chapter notes. If you're familiar with the "sweetness and lightning" anime, there is an episode called "A Gyoza Party with Friends", episode 6. I have rewatched that episode to death; it's my favorite of the series. This chapter is HEAVILY inspired by that. So much that some dialogue came directly from that episode. I've always wanted to tackle gyoza because I actually know how to make it. That and Asian spring rolls (which is essentially the same thing but different shape). 
> 
> Notice in the recipe I included, it uses store bought gyoza wrappers. In the anime/manga, they made their own. In this chapter, they made their own too but IRL, ain't nobody got time for dat! XD But no, I won't judge if you use store bought wrappers or ready-made gyoza. You do you.
> 
> I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading!

[[ **GYOZA**](https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/gyoza-japanese-dumplings-56390033)]

 

Ingredients:

    * 1 packet 50 gyoza wrappers
  * **Filling:**
    * 1/8 cabbage
    * 1 teaspoon salt
    * 400 g lean pork or chicken
    * 1/2 bunch garlic chives, finely chopped
    * 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water and finely chopped
    * 1 tablespoon grated ginger
    * 2 teaspoons soy sauce
    * 2 teaspoons sesame oil, plus 2 teaspoons extra, for cooking
    * Pinch of salt
  * **Dipping sauce:**
    * 2 tablespoons soy sauce
    * 2 tablespoons rice vinegar



Instructions:

  1. Dice cabbage finely and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Give it a bit of a massage. Leave for 10–15 minutes and then squeeze with your hands to remove any moisture.
  2. With your hands thoroughly mix together cabbage, ground meat, chives, mushrooms, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and pinch of salt.
  3. Dry your hands completely (or wrappers will stick). Place a gyoza wrapper on one hand and put 1 teaspoon filling in centre of wrapper.
  4. Brush edge of half the wrapper with cold water. Make a semi-circle by folding the wrapper in half. Pinch open sides of wrapper together with your fingers and seal the top.
  5. Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add 2 teaspoons sesame oil and arrange 20–25 gyoza in pan. Add 200ml water to cover bottom of pan, cover with lid and cook on medium-high heat for 6–7 minutes or until translucent, cooked and no liquid is left in pan. Take off lid and cook for another 30–60 seconds for the bottoms to go crunchy. Cook remaining gyoza or freeze them.
  6. Mix together soy sauce, vinegar and chilli oil, if using. Serve gyoza hot with dipping sauce.



Yield: 50 dumplings.

 

****************************

 

“Yurio-kun!! _!_ ” a whirlwind of a boy raced to the Russian. Kenjirou Minami was jumping up and down, trying to get his attention. With his shock of red hair, it was hard no to see him. “ _Konnichiwa_ , Yurio’s brother-san!”

“What do you --” Yurio started but Viktor cut him off with a much more polite greeting.

“Hello there, Minami-kun,” Viktor said, patting him gently on the head. “Did you have fun today?”

“ _Haaaai_!” he replied. He was the only Japanese pupil in Yurio’s class. “Hey, can you and Yurio come to my birthday party? A lot of our classmates are going and a lot of grown ups too.” The little boy handed them a colored piece of cardstock with a picture drawn on the front.

The invitation was written in random scribbles and a neater penmanship in English that read:

 

_You’re invited to Kenjirou’s birthday!_

_August 18 at 11AM_

_Gyoza Party with Cake_

_Izakaya Minami_

_rsvp_ _0X-XXXX-XXXX_

 

Yurio grumbled and gripped the straps of his bag. He didn’t mind Minami much but the smaller Japanese boy had grown very attached to him. He’s been talking about his birthday all week. He said it was going to be held at their family’s restaurant in town and apparently, he had invited every name he knew.

“Otabek said he wants to come,” Minami said, completely oblivious to Yurio’s reaction. Yurio stopped fidgeting and sneaked a glance up his brother. “But only if there is a grown up who can go with him.”

The Altins found a new babysitter to pick Otabek up after school. But to chaperone the boy to a birthday party was another thing all together. Viktor wondered if he can vouch for both Yurio and Otabek.

“We can take Yuuri,” Yurio said, pulling at his brother’s pant leg. “Please, please, Viktor. Can we ask Yuuri?”

Viktor looked down and saw two adorable faces smiling up at him. He knew there was no use fighting it. “I can ask him right now. Minami-kun, I’ll call your parents later to let them know we’re coming.”

“Yaaaay! Thank you, Yurio’s brother-san!” Minami tried hugging Yurio but settled for Viktor’s leg before skipping off to the next classmate.

 

****************************

 

“Come in, come in!” Minami’s mom greeted the newcomers into their restaurant. Viktor, Yurio, Yuuri, and Otabek all said their good mornings, slipping off their shoes and putting them in the cubbies. “Thank you for coming, Viktor, everyone. The others are in the back.”

“ _Arigatou gozaimasu_ ,” Yuuri said for all of them.

“You’re here!” a lively voice announced. Little Minami ran towards the group and gave Yuuri a hug. The day after inviting Yurio and Viktor, he later made the connection that the Yuuri his classmate was talking about was his favorite person, Yuuri Katsuki.

“Happy birthday, Minami-kun!” Yuuri said, crouching low and handing the boy a wrapped gift.

“Is that for me?” Minami asked, eyes wide and shining.

“It’s your birthday, isn’t it?” Yurio mumbled, shoving a gift bag to him. “Here. Happy birthday.” Minami moved to hug Yurio but dodged him the last second.

“Happy birthday, Minami,” Otabek said. “Thank you for inviting me.” Unlike Yurio, he accepted the hug albeit awkwardly.

“Thank you!!!” the celebrant exclaimed. “Let’s go say hi to everyone!” He then grabbed both Yurio’s and Otabek’s hands, dragging them further into the house.

“I didn’t get to give him my gift,” Viktor chuckled.

“I’ll get it,” Minami’s mom said. “I apologize. He’s very energetic. Kenjirou is so excited to have his friends over for the first time ever.”

“Well, thank you for inviting us bigger boys,” Viktor said and they laughed.

“I will need all the help I can get!” the mom said. “By the way, did I tell you what we’re doing today?”

“The invitation said something like a ‘gyoza party’ or something?” the Russian said. “I know what a gyoza is but a party? Do you know what that is, Yuuri?”

“Ah, it’s a perfect kind of party for you,” Yuuri said. “We get to make our own gyoza.”

“Really?” Viktor said, abruptly turning back to face the Japanese boy. “We can do that?”

Minami’s mom laughed. “Yes, I will show you. It’s like a lesson.” They rounded the corner and saw a bunch of Yurio’s classmates seated on the floor around a table. They also saw a couple of familiar faces.

“About time you show up, _cherie_ ,” Chris drawled.

Yuuri stopped, eyes wide upon seeing Chris. Viktor was a bit better masking his shock, “What are you doing here?”

The Swiss pointed to the two children on either side of him. “As you know well, _mon cherie_ , my employers are the Crispinos. These little twin angels, Sara and Michele, are my charges for today.” He pulled them both closer, Sara giggling with delight and Michele trying to get away. “And besides, who do you think made the cake?”

“Chris makes the best cakes!” the girl, Sara, said, wrapping her arms around Chris’ neck.

“SARA!” her twin brother protested. “Stop doing that!” Sara stuck her tongue out to him.

Minami’s mom went into the room with juice for everyone. “ _Minna_ , thank you for coming,” she said, “please sit down around the table.”

Viktor and Yuuri found a space, letting Yurio and Otabek sit in between them. Chris and the twins sat opposite them while the other kids and chaperones gathered around. Minami and his mom took to the head of the table.

“Today, we are making our own gyoza,” she started. “I’ve placed bowls in front of the older kids. Please help your little brothers and sisters. Don’t worry if you make a mess.”

“Sara, let me help you,” Michele said, reaching across Chris to hold Sara’s hand.

“No, Mickey!” she said, pulling away. “Seung-gil can help me,” she turned to her other side and gave the Korean boy a wide smile. In class, Seung-gil mostly kept to himself, clutching his Siberian husky plush. Even here, he was expressionless and ignored Sara altogether.

Mickey’s face transformed into absolute terror. The grown ups found it funny but Yuuri saw that it was upsetting Yurio a bit. Viktor wrapped his arms around his brother and felt him relax. Minami was oblivious to the whole thing.

“Now, now,” Chris said, calming Michele down, “How about you help me with these?” He placed a bowl of powder ingredients in front of the boy.

Minami’s mom was showing them how to make the gyoza shells. “Chris-kun kindly volunteered to help shape them later,” she said, smiling at Chris.

Otabek was holding the bowl steady as Yurio got in the flour and water mixture with both his hands. Viktor was ready with a damp towel to wipe him down. Yuuri opted to help the other kid beside him… who happened to be JJ. The little Canadian sure talked a lot.

“Did you make those rice triangles that Plisetsky brought to class one time?” JJ asked Yuuri as he mixed the ingredients. “They are very good! I wanted more and Plisetsky said to get it from someone named Yuuri. I supposed you are Yuuri?”

Yuuri just chuckled. “Yes, that’s me,” was all he could say.

“Now everyone,” Minami’s mom prompted, “Mix the dough with your hands.”

“This is my favorite part!” the birthday boy himself said. Yurio sat back down the cushion as Viktor cleaned him up. Otabek patiently waited for his turn. Yuuri helped JJ but the little boy insisted he pound the dough too. “Whoa! Chris-san!” Minami exclaimed.

All eyes went to the Swiss who was expertly kneading the dough he made with Michele. Sara looked over to them with a proud smile on her face. Her arms were covered with flour, her hair lightly dusted white. While the others were working, Minami’s mom went around to check everyone’s progress.

“Nicely done!” she said after her rounds. “Now we will let it sit for 30 minutes while we make the _an_.”

“ _An_?” everybody in the room who was not Japanese asked.

“The filling,” Yuuri answered.

“You are right, Yuuri-kun,” Minami’s mom said. “I will need the older boys and girls to help out. We will be working with knives so we have to be extra careful.” At the word “knives”, several of the kids jumped back. Even Otabek twitched. “One side of the table with make chicken gyoza and the other will make pork.”

Yurio was eying Viktor warily. He pulled at his brother’s sleeve. “I wanna do it too,” Yurio said. “I’ll be careful. I promise.”

Viktor smiled. He knew Yurio tried hard not to be scared off by the knife. They already started chopping the cabbage, putting it into another bowl. “Sit on my lap, Yurio,” Viktor said. “Okay, hold on to my hand holding the knife. Okay, one… two,” and together they pushed down on the vegetable.

A chorus of “wow” by childish voices broke Yurio’s concentration. “That’s really good, Yurio-kun!” a boy said. “That’s really brave!” a girl on their right said.

The little boy’s cheeks were pink and warm at the attention. Otabek was silently watching them. “Do you want to try too?” Viktor asked him. Yurio wormed his way out of Viktor’s arms to make room for his best friend. Otabek put his hand gingerly on Viktor’s and together they chopped the rest of the cabbage.

“I want to try it too!” JJ announced, standing to his full height. Yuuri almost dropped the saucer of chives he just finished chopping. “Yuuri, if you can help me,” the Canadian boy said, plopping on Yuuri’s thighs.

Yurio was shooting daggers at him and to everyone’s amusement, so was Minami. “Well, our Japanese Yuuri is quite popular,” Chris said earning a laugh from everyone.

All of that was temporarily forgotten when Minami’s mom announced that it was time to mix the veggies with the raw meat. It was Otabek’s turn to get his hands dirty and he looked so determined to do a good job. All the kids had their turn at pounding the meat, making sure everything was mixed together.

Soon, Minami’s mom and Chris were showing everyone how to stretch the dough to gyoza shells. “You don’t have to watch so closely,” she laughed when Viktor started to record them. “You can buy gyoza wrappers at the market to save time. Here, I will let Chris-kun do the rest while I show you how to assemble the gyoza.”

She took Chris’ place between the Crispino twins and everyone gathered around her. Even the stoic Seung-gil was leaning over Sara’s shoulder to see. Michele’s _tsk_ echoed throughout the room. “First, hold the wrapper in one hand. Then place this much _an_ on one side,” she said. Viktor was still taking video. “Let your little helper brush water on the edge with clean fingers to seal your gyoza.” The birthday boy proudly followed his mom’s instructions.

“But how about those little curly designs?” Sara asked.

“Do it like this!” Minami said, pinching the edges to make it look like the gyoza they are familiar with. “One more, mama!”

“I-I want to try,” Michele said shakily. Minami scuttled back as the Italian boy knelt beside their host.

“Did you remember how to do it, Michele-kun?” He nodded and slowly made his own dumpling. When he was finished, he was met with a lively applause and a tackle hug from Sara.

Chris watched from the end of the table, the pile of gyoza wrappers growing in front of him. “Very good, _mon ange_ ,” he teased. “I will get that video from you later, Viktor, okay?”

“Chris!” Michele said loudly, “Keep making the shells! We’re gonna catch up on you!”

“Ooh, I’m scared,” Chris said in a sing-song voice. “Make sure you do it properly so you won’t waste it.”

Everyone went back to their stations working to use up all the dough and _an_ that they made. Viktor’s two hands were occupied holding the gyoza shells up for Yurio and Otabek while Yuuri was still being very patient with JJ. He even had the Japanese boy make him dough snakes and form them into tiny ‘JJ’. “So I will know which ones I made!” he proudly said.

“And which ones I should avoid,” Yurio mumbled, thankfully in Russian. Viktor tapped him on the head while Otabek snickered.

Minami’s mom offered to cook everything. Viktor volunteered to help, truly eager to learn how to make the dish. Meanwhile, the izakaya staff served the guests plates of _karaage_ , several kinds of _tempura_ , _sushi tamago_ , a big bowl of _oden_ , _edamame_ , and other foods to share including a large pot of rice.

“Don’t each too much or else you won’t have room for the gyoza we made,” Yuuri told Yurio as he piled on the food on his plate. The older kids were given a plate of Japanese curry. He left someone tug at his sleeve, “Yes, Otabek?”

“Can I have some of that?” he pointed towards the sashimi plate.

“The egg sushi?” Yuuri asked, confused. The boy shook his head and kept pointing. “The _aji_ ? I mean, mackerel?” Otabek nodded, holding out his plate. “I don’t know…” he hesitated, looking at one of the staff for guidance. “ _Sumimasen_ ,” Yuuri asked one of the wait staff. In Japanese, he continued, “Is it safe for me to give him sashimi? He’s six years old.”

The lady smiled, “Yes, it is. My son started to eat sushi and sashimi when he was around that age. Go ahead.”

“Let’s start off small, okay?” Yuuri said to Otabek. “I don’t know if you’ll like it.” He put one whole piece on his plate and pinched off a little bit for Otabek. The boy picked it up with his kiddie chopsticks and chewed thoughtfully. “How is it?”

“I like it,” Otabek said calmly. “Can I have the rest?” Yuuri happily placed the rest of the slice on his plate.

“I want to try too,” Yurio said having watched it all happen. Being less wary now, Yuuri did the same thing. Only Yurio stuck out his tongue when he tried a piece. “You take it, Beka.”

“Better stick with the egg sushi then,” Yuuri teased, placing a yellow rectangle on Yurio’s plate.

“I come bringing our treasures, everyone!” Viktor said with flair. He was carrying a big platter of gyoza arranged in straight lines. Minami’s mom had another batch. Chris made room in the middle of the table while Yuuri prepared dips and sauces for everyone. JJ’s personalized dumplings stood out.

Before anyone dug in, they all took pictures of the wonderful spread of food on the table. Sara skipped over to where Minami was and snapped a birthday selfie with him and another one with Michele in the shot.

They all let Minami take the first piece. “Hey, I made that!” JJ proudly said as Minami picked up a golden gyoza with JJ right in the middle.

“Choose another one, Minami,” Yurio grumbled. Viktor shushed him.

Minami took the first bite and declared it was the best ever. JJ beamed, Yurio growled, and the rest took it as a sign to dig in.

“Yuuri!” Viktor said, shaking the Japanese boy. “What is this magic? This is the best gyoza ever!” Yuuri smiled at his friend as he devoured one dumpling after another.

“We all made it,” Yuuri said, biting into one made by JJ (and really, himself), “that is what makes it special.” He blushed at his own words.

“Is that why everything we’ve made so far tastes amazing?” the Russian said, crunching on a karaage.

“Viktor, it’s called _love_ ,” Chris interrupted nonchalantly.

Yuuri choked on his drink, turning redder than a tomato. Yurio, ever observant, looked from his brother to Yuuri and back. Even Otabek knew something special happened. But Viktor remained oblivious.

“Hmm, maybe,” Viktor mumbled. He looked down at Yurio. “It’s my love for my _kotyonok_!” He leaned down to kiss Yurio’s forehead. Yurio dodged; instead, shoving a piece of gyoza in between his brother’s lips.

Chris burst out laughing. “You are simply hopeless, _mon cherie_.” And to Yuuri, he winked.

 

* * *

 

I enjoyed writing kid!Otabek so much, I wrote Sara, Mickey and JJ too. 

Also, I would like to confess that I am not a fan of sushi. And avocado. Being from Southern California, I feel like I'm confessing to some kind of blasphemy. XD But on the off chance that I do eat sushi/sashimi, I prefer yellowtail. 


	7. Pancakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yurio wants to have a sleepover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was trying so hard to update yesterday, 9/17, because it was my birthday. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. I had my favorite takoyaki and okonomiyaki and it was amazing. :) 
> 
> I've had pancakes on my list since the very start of this fic but it always seemed so simple. I wanted to include Alton Brown's recipe but this one is even simpler. While I did include the recipe, it's not really a part of the chapter plot. It's not my favorite chapter to write - it's rushed and it definitely needs improvement - but this girl wants to write kid!Otabek. So here it is.
> 
> Pancakes or HOTCAKES are so easy. The batter can be store-bought. But where' the fun in that? LOL.

 

[[ **PANCAKES**](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/21014/good-old-fashioned-pancakes/print/?recipeType=Recipe&servings=8&isMetric=false)]

 

## Ingredients

  * 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  * 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  * 1 teaspoon salt
  * 1 tablespoon white sugar


  * 1 1/4 cups milk
  * 1 egg
  * 3 tablespoons butter, melted



## Directions

  1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
  2. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
  3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat.
  4. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake.
  5. Brown on both sides and serve hot.



 

****************************

 

“I want a sleepover,” Yurio said softly as he nestled in his brother’s arms. They were up late watching a Miyazaki movie that Minami recommended. Viktor saw it before but it was fun for him to watch Yurio’s reactions to the little fish girl and her friend.

“What is that, _kotyonok_?” Viktor asked, holding Yurio closer to his chest. “You want to invite your friends?” The thought of several restless children under the age of 7 gave him anxiety. Yet he saw that as an opportunity to invite his own friends over for help.

But Yurio had other plans. He shook his head, his fine hair sticking to Viktor’s clothes with static. “Just Yuuri. And Otabek,” he mumbled and promptly fell asleep.

Viktor froze. “Just Yuuri and Otabek?” he repeated in his head. In the short time that they’ve known Yuuri, they also gained his friend circle. Yurio, with his brash and seemingly unfriendly behavior, was surprisingly popular in school. Surely their house could accomodate a lot of people but why did Yurio wanted only those two?

The next morning, over a breakfast of peanut butter and mugi tea, Viktor repeated the question. And Yurio had the same answer. With crumbs on his cheeks, he tried to talk but Viktor scolded him. “I want just Yuuri and Otabek,” the boy said once he swallowed.

“How come?” Viktor asked, pouring another cup of tea. “Wasn’t Minami-kun’s party fun with everyone there?”

“Yeah but that’s too many people,” Yurio said. “We can make pancakes in the morning!”

Viktor’s eyes lit up. Chris gave them a recipe for homemade pancakes a few weeks ago. The Swiss said it was Viktor’s turn to impress Yuuri. “Yes, Yurio! That’s a great idea,” Viktor said. “I’ll call Yuuri and Mrs. Altin and then we’ll go shopping for supplies.”

Viktor got permission from the Altins first. The brothers agreed to come pick up Otabek on their way back from grocery shopping. Mrs. Altin offered to send along some baked goods. Yuuri was willing to go as well and said to meet the brothers in front of their house that afternoon. It wasn’t a school day so he had the time to sleep over someone else’s house.

Yurio made sure to stock up on almond crush Pocky for Otabek. “Yurio, it’s just one night,” Viktor said as the boy chucked a 5th box in to the basket.

“Then we save some for school,” Yurio reasoned, stopping at box number 6.

They found Otabek patiently waiting by the front steps of their apartment. Mrs. Altin handed over a box of sugar cookies. “I already had them and was planning to send some over,” she explained as Yurio munched on one. “Oh do have fun, my dearest,” she said to Otabek, patting his head. “I will pick you up around lunch time tomorrow. Please be good for Viktor.”  They waved goodbye to Otabek’s mom.

“Bye-bye, Mama,” Otabek said. “I love you.”

Viktor swooned. “Why don’t you ever tell me you love me, _kotyonok_?” Yurio tsked and Otabek chuckled. “I feed you. I give you baths. I hug you when you’re scared,” Viktor started to list down things, “I buy you Pocky. I take you to school…”

Yurio let out a cry and started chasing after his older brother. Viktor broke into a faster walk; Yurio’s shorter legs barely keeping up. Otabek jogged to catch up, holding in his laughter.

As they reached the Plisetsky residence, they saw Yuuri waiting for them with his duffel bag by his feet. Viktor sprinted faster and hid himself behind the Japanese. “Help me, Yuuri!” he fake cried. “My one and only brother does not love me. My life no longer has meaning.”

Shocked at Viktor’s proximity, Yuuri tried pushing the taller Russian away. “Viktor, what on earth?” he stammered, trying to fix his glasses on his nose. He saw Yurio and Otabek running towards them. “Guys, slow down. Be careful.”

But neither child listened and they hit Yuuri’s legs at full speed, toppling both him and Viktor over. Yurio tried reaching at Viktor but Otabek was holding him back. “ _Yura_ , calm down. Yuuri’s here,” he said. And the feisty Russian did.

“Guys, you’re heavy,” Viktor moaned from under the weight. Yuuri blushed and immediately rolled away taking the two kids with him. Viktor saw his face and instantly regretted what he said. “Yuuri, I…” but he was interrupted by Yurio and Otabek greeting the Japanese with hugs.

“Thank you for inviting me, Viktor,” Yuuri said as they settled themselves into the house. The younger boys were watching the same Miyazaki movie about the fish girl while the older boys were stowing groceries away. “I brought our hot chocolate mix,” his cheeks tinged pink. “Maybe Yurio and Otabek might want to try some later. My mother also made _onigiri_ for all of us. What can we make for dinner?” Yuuri had the tendency to babble when he was nervous. It was no way his first sleepover but something about Viktor made him jittery.

They agreed on take out fried chicken and noodles. Neither were in the cooking mood since they were already going to make hot chocolate later that night. Otabek realized he liked marshmallows in his while Yurio liked his with cinnamon.

It was a fun night filled with movies and playtime and soon, the younger boys were all Miyazaki’d out. Viktor couldn’t resist taking a photo of a Yurio and Otabek shaped lump on the couch. They fell asleep side by side against the arm rest. Yuuri draped a soft blanket on their shoulders. Viktor and Yuuri decided to finish the movie on their own.

“I wonder what happened to Kiki after the movie,” Viktor asked out of the blue. “And to Ponyo.” Yuuri glanced at the sleeping children and then to Viktor. “They are in totally new environments with no family to support them.”

“Well, they made good friends,” Yuuri replied. “They seemed happy. Not lonely at all.” Yuuri saw the faraway look on Viktor’s face. “Do you… do you feel that way?” He knew the brothers were faraway from Russia and everything was new to them from the language to the food and traditions.

Viktor turned to look Yuuri in the eye. “We miss our home in Russia but…” he smiled, “this isn’t too bad.” He made to reach for Yuuri’s hand when they heard a soft thud. Yuuri jumped away and looked behind him.

Yurio fell over to his other side pulling the blanket with him. “That doesn’t look comfortable,” he nervously chuckled. He saw where Viktor’s hand was going. A part of him wanted it to happen and the other part wanted to run away. Viktor looked upset for a second, sighing.

“No, it doesn’t,” Viktor said, trying to right Yurio back up. “It’s time for bed. For real this time,” he said, bundling up the smaller Russian. “You don’t mind carrying Otabek, right?” Yuuri gingerly lifted the sleeping boy and held him to his chest.

They agreed that the kids would sleep in Yurio’s room, on his bed. Viktor offered his own bed to Yuuri while he was to take a futon on the floor. Yuuri rejected the idea saying that he was more used to sleeping in a futon but Viktor insisted.

The older boys kept talking until one of them started snoring. It was Viktor. Yuuri peeked over the side of the bed to watch the moonlight bounce off the silver in Viktor’s hair. The Russian did make him nervous but he also made Yuuri feel safe. He loved spending time with him and Yurio. He found that he willed the day to fly by faster when they’ve scheduled a cooking session. Yuuri took it one day at a time. He knew that one day, they will eventually go back to Russia. He shook his head, sandwiching it between two pillows, willing that idea away.

“Not yet,” he thought. “Not for a long time yet.”

 

****************************

 

The sheets felt heavier than it was last night. Yuuri tried pushing away the suffocating blanket but was met with resistance. “What… what time is it?” he mumbled in Japanese. The blanket mumbled something back and he felt hair tickle his nose.

“Wait. The blanket replied?” Yuuri thought. He cracked open one eye and was met with a mop of blonde hair. He opened the other eye and turned his head to the side and saw dark hair barely making it over the edge of the bed.

“Good morning, Yuuri,” the dark hair said. It was obviously Otabek, his voice scratchy in the morning. “Viktor said to wake you up.”

Yuuri’s brain was having trouble catching up. “What? Morning?” Otabek reached for Yuuri’s phone and showed him the time. 8:20AM. “Who?” The blanket mumbled again in a language that sounded like Russian.

“He said you’re noisy, please keep quiet,” Otabek translated although Yuuri was sure he added one word to it to make it more polite. “Viktor asked us to wake you but Yura fell asleep again.”

Obviously, neither Yuris were morning people. Viktor was, Yuuri knew by the early morning messages he would get from the Russian. Apparently, Otabek was too judging by how bright eyed he looked compared to the snoring Yurio.

“Viktor said he’s cooking pancakes,” Otabek said as the scent of cooking wafted through the opened door.

That woke Yuuri right up, pulling Yurio to his chest. “What? Viktor? Cooking? On this own?” Yuuri frantically asked, searching the floor for his indoor slippers. Yurio whimpered again. Yuuri dashed, as fast as he could with a sleeping child in his arms, expecting the worst. Otabek wasn’t too far behind.

Then Yuuri realized that it didn’t smell like burning food. It actually smelled good. Slowing down, he deposited Yurio on the couch. Otabek plopped himself by Yurio’s head, his silent eyes saying that he’d watch over his friend.

Yuuri looked over to the kitchen and found Viktor, his hair tied up to a bun, an apron tied around his waist. He was humming a tune as he cooked, a stack of pancakes already cooling on the counter to his right. Yuuri slowly made his way to Viktor.

“Yuuri, good morning!” Viktor greeted. He had a smile on his face but he just glanced at his friend. “I’m sorry I didn’t wake you myself. I want to do this right.” He flipped another pancake, browning the other side. “They’re not the prettiest but they’re edible.” Viktor had a slight blush on his fair cheeks.

Yuuri looked over at the growing stack. They were all of different shapes and sizes, some edges were browner than the others. But nothing smelled or looked burned beyond recognition.

“Chris gave me the recipe,” Viktor explained, spooning another batch of batter on to the pan. “He showed me one time how to make it. I have it on video. I’ve been practicing so I hope there is improvement.” Apparently, Viktor babbled when he was nervous too. “There is yogurt in the fridge if you don’t like them. I won’t feel bad.”

“Viktor!” Yuuri said, putting a stop to the Russian’s word vomit. “They look really nice. Thank you.” Viktor beamed. “Do you need help with anything else?”

“In the kitchen, no,” Viktor said. “But can you please help Otabek and Yurio wash up?”

“I need to wake Yurio up first,” Yuuri chuckled. When he went back to the living room, he found the children in the same position as when he left them. Yurio looked so peaceful that Yuuri didn’t want to disturb him. “Do you want to do the honors, Otabek?”

The little boy took a deep breath. “Yura,” Otabek said, gently shaking his friend’s shoulder. “Yura, wake up. There’s pancakes.” Yurio whimpered, one eye fluttering open. “Yura, time to wake up.”

“Pancakes?” Yurio mumbled. Yuuri wiped a bit of drool from Yurio’s lips with his finger. “Where?”

“Your brother is making some,” Yuuri said, almost a whisper. “Come on, Yurio, you need to wash up first. We have to eat them while they’re warm.”

Yurio slowly sat up, wiping at his eyes with a small fist. His hair was sticking out in all directions. It was pretty cute. “Yuuri,” he said, voice hoarse from disuse. Then he opened his arms out for a hug. “Good morning.”

 

****************************

 

Viktor sat across from Yuuri. His brother was on his right while Otabek was beside Yuuri. They all had a stack of his homemade pancakes in front of them, syrup and butter in the middle of the table. He felt extra nervous because it was the very first thing he made all by himself from scratch. Sure he recreated many of the other things he learned in the past weeks but these pancakes were his first solo project.

Yuuri was slicing bananas for Otabek’s stack while Yurio was arranging strawberries into a smiley face. Yuuri had a pat of butter melting on his while Viktor’s remained untouched. He was waiting for any of them to take the first bite.

When he felt a tug on his sleeve, he almost fell off the chair. Yurio was looking at him with wide eyes. “Cut it for me,” he demanded, pointing at the face of strawberries and pancakes staring up at them.

“Yurio, what do we say?” Yuuri warned.

“Please? And thank you, Viktor,” Yurio said bashfully.

Viktor smiled and started cutting Yurio’s pancakes into small bite sized pieces.

“Would you like me to do the same, Otabek?” Yuuri asked the boy beside him. Otabek shook his head wanting to do it himself. The younger boys had plastic utensils after all.

Viktor speared a piece with the fork and handed it to Yurio. He held his breath until the child took a bite. “It’s good. I want syrup,” Yurio finally said and the tension was released.

“Viktor! This is really good!” Yuuri exclaimed. “You did really well.”

The Russian blushed. “It could be a bit fluffier, I think,” he said.

Yuuri waved his hand. “No, don’t worry about that. I don’t mind,” Yuuri smiled. “They don’t mind either.” He pointed to the two boys beside them obviously enjoying their breakfast.

“May I have some more?” Otabek asked politely. “And some syrup please.”

Viktor’s smile was brighter than the sun. Everyone was enjoying his food. Some weeks ago, he planned to feed Yurio and himself takeout, microwaved dinners and instant noodles until their mother arrived. Now, he was able to took lunch, dinner, and now, breakfast.

“Aren’t you going to eat yours?” Yuuri asked, finishing off his own plate. In the excitement of those few minutes, Viktor hadn’t even touched his food. “It’s really good, trust me.”

After a successful breakfast, Yuuri volunteered to wash the dishes as Viktor gave the younger boys a bath. When they came back out, it looked like Viktor had gotten a bath too. His long hair was dripping wet and his clothes were soaked through. Yurio and Otabek were dry and dressed, a satisfied grin on the Russian boy’s face.

“What happened to you?” Yuuri inquired, trying not to laugh. “You need a proper bath, Viktor, or you’ll get sick. I’ll watch over these two.” As a defeated Viktor trudged back to the bathroom, Yuuri turned to his namesake and asked, “What did you do?” A small smile spread across Otabek’s face as Yurio beamed.

 

****************************

 

“Oh I see,” Viktor said, drying his hair with one hand while holding the phone against his ear with the other. “Don’t worry about it, Mrs. Altin. Yuuri and I can watch over Otabek for a while longer.” He sighed but definitely sympathized. He had to break the news to Otabek that his mother won’t be able to pick him up just yet. “We’ll see you later, Mrs. Altin. Bye.”

He found Yuuri, Yurio, and Otabek watching TV in the living room. Yuuri saw him and went over. “What’s wrong?” he already sensed something was up.

“Otabek’s mom just called,” Viktor started, “she said she was suddenly called into work. She can’t pick up Otabek until this afternoon.” The pair looked at the boys sitting on the couch laughing at a dancing penguin. “Poor Otabek.”

“Hey Viktor,” Yuuri said, “I have an idea. Why don’t we go to the onsen for lunch? You can tell Mrs. Altin to pick Otabek up from there instead.”

“Can we do that, Yuuri?” Viktor asked, suddenly excited.

“Yes,” Yuuri smiled. “Otabek’s never been to the onsen so this is a perfect time for all of us to go. I’ll go tell them.”

As Yuuri turned to walk over to the couch, Viktor wrapped his arms around him from behind. He squawked in surprise. “Thank you, Yuuri,” Viktor whispered against Yuuri’s nape. Viktor let go after one more squeeze. “I’ll go pack up their things.”

Dazed, Yuuri made his way to Yurio and Otabek to tell them the good news.

 

*************************************************************************************************************

I already have our featured dish for next chapter. Hint? It's mentioned on this page. ;-)

Also, I will be doing some international travelling until mid-October. I will be going to my first overseas convention and I am super excited for it. 


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